Of trench coats and cigarettes
by Lee Ken Tam
Summary: The world's greatest paranormal investigator meets the world's greatest con man. When a mysterious artefact of immense power finds itself in the hands of the Natural History Museum of London, Hellboy and Constantine have to work together to ensure that the artefact doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Please R&R.
1. Preface and Character Profiles

**Of trenchcoats and cigarettes: A Hellboy and Constantine crossover**

 **Hellboy and any related characters is owned by Dark Horse Comics and Mike Mignola**

 **John Constantine and any related characters is owned by DC Comics**

Preface and Character profiles

Greetings! Lee Ken Tam here. It's been a while since I wrote my last fan fiction (of which there are only two) or did any form of creative writing so apologies if my writing seems sporadic. This time, I'm putting two of my favourite occult detectives together, Hellboy and John Constantine (not the most novel of ideas, I admit). Certainly, not everyone knows who Hellboy or John Constantine is and a simple Google search would solve this issue. However, some of you may not like to do pre-reading before reading this attempt at creative writing, so instead, here are the profiles of the main characters.

 **Hellboy:** Summoned by Grigori Rasputin to turn the tide of World War II to ensure the Nazis victory, the demon child who would be known as Hellboy was rescued by the United States Army and was put under the care of Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, who raised him like a normal human child. An older Hellboy would then join the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D), a non-governmental agency tasked with investigating and combatting paranormal and occult threats, becoming one of their best agents; earning himself the title of "the world's greatest paranormal investigator". Being a demon, Hellboy shares similar characteristics to the popular depiction of the devil, i.e. having red skin, a tail, cloven feet and horns (which he sands down to appear normal). His distinguishing feature, however, is his stone right hand, the "Right Hand of Doom". He is also known for his trademark trench coat, an attire he shares with another occult detective…

 **John Constantine:** Also known as Hellblazer, this working-class Liverpuldian occult detective is also recognised by his trademark trench coat and his constant chain-smoking. A self-proclaimed "Petty dabbler of the Dark Arts", Constantine has great knowledge of the occult and magic which makes him a powerful sorcerer. However, his greatest asset is his quick thinking, cunning and ability to manipulate people to further his somewhat questionable goals. This, together with his vast knowledge on the occult, causes many to refer to Constantine as "the world's greatest con man" who has not only manipulated and deceived demons but also gods. He also has mastery in "stage magic skills" (i.e. pickpocketing, sleight of hand, etc.). All this, mixed with his endless cynicism and snarky attitude results in Constantine receiving either adoration or hate by those who cross his path. However, behind the humour and cynicism hides something else….

Well, hopefully I have given you a comprehensive summary of our two main characters. If you'd like to know more about them, there's always the internet or the works associated with them. I recommend giving those a look if you're interested in a good paranormal story. Or you like characters with trench coats. For now, on with the story…


	2. Chapter 1: Highgate Cemetery

Chapter 1: Highgate Cemetery

Highgate Cemetery, one of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries built outside Central London and a nature reserve. Located on both sides of Swain's Lane and next to Waterlow Park, the cemetery is known to be the burial ground for several notable people; its most famous occupant being Karl Marx. With its labyrinthine design, Gothic tombs and numerous Victorian graves, the cemetery has served as both a source of inspiration for both literary figures and film-makers alike; appearing in the works of John Galsworthy and in several British horror films (e.g. Hammer Film Production's _Taste the Blood of Dracula_ (1970)). However, the cemetery is not without a dark past…..

At 3am, a DHL van pulled up to the west entrance of Highgate Cemetery. Two men in black business suits stepped out of the van and surveyed the surrounding. The broad-chinned and burly man in black motioned to his partner, a younger looking man with a small scar on his chin.

"Unlock the gate. I'll secure the perimeter for the cargo." he ordered.

The younger man nodded in response and proceeded towards the gated entrance of the cemetery with a pair of bolt cutters. Meanwhile, the burly agent slowly walked towards the side of the DHL van whilst his hand subconsciously ran across his short hair. He turned to face the cemetery's entrance as his partner struggled with the bolt cutters. The cold London air was greatly affecting the dexterity of the younger agent's hands as he struggled to cut the chains wrapped around the gate of the cemetery. After a few tries, the bolt cutters did their magic and cut through the chains. With a look of relief on his face, the young agent turned to his burly partner with a thumbs up. The burly man nodded in response before banging his fist on the side of the DHL van.

"Coast is clear." he barked.

The burly agent stepped aside as the side door of the van slid open. Cloven feet touched the ground as a red trench coat-wearing figure stepped out of the van.

"Well, it's about time. I was getting bored in there, Clay." Hellboy remarked as he lit a cigar.

"Sorry about that, Red." replied the burly agent, "You know how it is."

"Yeah, yeah." replied Hellboy as he took in his cigar, "So, Highgate Cemetery. It's been a while."

"You've been here before?" exclaimed the young agent as he walked towards Hellboy and Agent Clay.

"Yeah, I was here during the 'Highgate Vampire' craze." replied Hellboy.

"Highgate Vampire?" asked the young agent with confusion on his face.

"It was in the 1970s." replied Agent Clay," Dead foxes were turning up around the cemetery with slashed throats and bodies drained of blood. Rumour was that it was the work of a vampire. So the B.P.R.D got involved. Turns out it was just a Satanist named Daniel Chester. The guy was just trying to summon a demon using the blood of the foxes."

"Put a stop to that." replied Hellboy, with a tinge of pride, "Anyway, what's this case about?"

"Accountant Shane Ferrend was found lying dead on one of the gravestones in the cemetery this morning." reported Agent Clay as he handed Hellboy a folder, "He was found with puncture wounds on his throat and his body drained of blood."

Hellboy looked through the folders content which consisted of newspaper articles reporting the death of Shane Ferrend and clear pictures of the wounds inflicted on the accountant's throat.

"Similar to those foxes." he remarked with concern.

"Could it be Daniel Chester?" enquired the young agent, "Back to his old ways?"

"Highly unlikely." answered Agent Clay. "Daniel was sentenced to six months of prison whereby he mysteriously died of a heart attack. He had no surviving relatives."

"So, maybe it's his spirit or something." exclaimed the young agent. "I mean what are the odds that Shane Ferrend's death would be similar to the way those foxes died?"

"Slow down there, Myers." replied Hellboy, putting his left hand on the young agent's shoulder, "That's what we're here to find out."

Giving Agent Myers a pat on the back, Hellboy then walked towards the entrance of the cemetery; tossing his burnt out cigar aside.

"Don't forget to use that earpiece of yours." Agent Clay shouted to Hellboy, "Keep us posted with what you see."

Hellboy, without turning, waved his stone right hand in response as he entered the cemetery.

During the day, Highgate cemetery would be filled with the chatter of adults and sometimes the giggles of children as huge groups of people are given a tour of the cemetery and its famous occupants. Teenage rebels and budding socialists would pose with the bust of Karl Marx while parents struggle to explain to their children why they can't run around the labyrinthine cemetery; either scaring them with ghost stories or outright telling them that they are disrespecting the dead. All the noises and sounds begin to drown out as the day ends and the cemetery closes for the night. It is at night that the cemetery shows its true beauty. The peace and quiet mixed with chill of the night air gives one an atmosphere of serenity and makes one contemplates one's own mortality. This night, however, is different. The cemetery is now shrouded in a veil of darkness so black that not a single light could pierce it. The quietness of the night is replaced by eerie silence. The chilly night air has given way to cold howling winds and the overall atmosphere is of both violence and agonising death. All this is perfectly summarised in six words…

"This place gives me the creeps." whispered Hellboy as he walked along the pathway illuminated by his torch.

Suddenly, a voice crackled from Hellboy's earpiece, startling the paranormal detective to drop his torch.

"Is everything alright?" crackled the voice from the earpiece.

"Damn it, Myers" Hellboy angrily whispered, fingers on his earpiece, "What the hell?!"

"Sorry." crackled Agent Myer's voice, "You didn't respond when you entered the cemetery. I thought something happened."

"Yeah, something happened." whispered Hellboy sarcastically as he looked to his broken torch on the ground, "I dropped my torch. Thanks."

"Don't mind him, John." Agent Clay's voice interjected," How's the cemetery?"

Hellboy took a deep breath to calm his nerves before answering.

"I'll tell you one thing." whispered Hellboy as he continued along the path," I've been in a lot of haunted cemeteries but this one's the creepiest. And that's saying something."

"Well, we better hurry it up then," crackled Agent Clay's voice, "Have you seen anything?"

"Nope." whispered Hellboy, "Nothing so far. I'm just about to head to the site of the murder. I'll keep you posted."

"Copy that." answered Agent Clay's voice.

Hellboy continued along the pathway, his eyes now adjusted to the dark. He passed a statue of an angel before he found his destination; a grave encircled by a police line. Being careful not to break the line, Hellboy carefully went under the tape and walked towards the grave. The gravestone read:

Here lies Duncan Jeremy Ferrend, loving husband and father.

1952 – 1999

Hellboy kneeled to inspect the grave. Other than some dried bird droppings, the grave was practically spotless. One would not have known that a murder took place at this very grave. Hellboy furrowed his brow.

"Damn." exclaimed Hellboy.

"What's wrong?" crackled Agent Clay's voice from the earpiece.

"Poor guy was murdered over his old man's grave." said Hellboy.

"That's just unfortunate." Agent Clay's voice crackled with sadness, "More reason to go after what killed him. Any clues?"

"The grave's too clean." Hellboy replied as he stood up, "Can't see anything that I can use to identify or lead me to our perpetrator."

"A cold trail then, huh?" Agent Clay's voice crackled with disappointment, "What do we do now?"

Hellboy stood silent for a while, studying the grave.

"Well, we _are_ in a cemetery." Hellboy started, before looking around the grave, "Let me ask around."

"Ask around?" questioned Agent Myer's voice, "You're not meaning to dig up a corpse to ask it questions? That's just disrespectful!"

"Relax, Myers." retorted Hellboy, "Cemeteries aren't just filled with bodies, you know."

"I don't understand." Agent Myer's voice sounded confused.

"He means ghosts, John." answered Agent Clay's voice. "Do you see any around, Hellboy?"

Hellboy surveyed his surroundings.

"Strange." Hellboy uttered, "For a cemetery, there sure aren't a lot…"

Suddenly, Hellboy heard shuffling behind him. Quickly drawing his gun, Hellboy turned to face his would-be attacker.


	3. Chapter 2: The Laughing Magician

Chapter 2: The Laughing Magician

Hellboy quickly turned, with his gun drawn, to the source of the noise only to find a man carrying a small bag. It looked like the man had just gotten up from a heavy night of drinking and put on what he could reach from his bed. His hair was unkempt and greasy whilst his face sported a 5'o clock shadow. His unkemptness was also reflected in his attire which comprised of a white shirt and a loose black tie. All this, topped with a grungy trench coat that had seen better days (Hellboy likened his appearance to that of a 1950s private dick). Seeing the gun, the man quickly raised his hands up and dropped his bag.

"Easy there, mate." exclaimed the man, "I'm not looking for fight."

"Who are you?" asked Hellboy, gun still pointed at the man, "And what are you doing here?"

"I'm gathering you're from the US of States." replied the man in a sardonic tone, "Judging from your 'shoot first, ask questions later' attitude."

"Answer me." Hellboy said angrily, pulling back the hammer of his gun, "Who. Are. You?"

"Look here, mate." the man retorted in annoyance, "I'd love to tell you all about my sorry self but guns usually give me the 'ol' shut-me-ups'. So if you want answers, you'd best put the bloody gun down."

Hellboy continued to stare at the man at the end of his gun barrel. After a few tense seconds, he holstered his gun. The man in the trench coat let out a sigh of relief.

"Talk. Now." demanded Hellboy.

The man in the trench coat placed his hands down before reaching into the inside pocket of his coat. Hellboy looked on as the man pulled out a card. With a smug grin on his face, the man handed Hellboy the card. The card read:

JOHN CONSTANTINE

 _ **Exorcist, Demonologist and Master of the Dark Arts**_

(404) 248 – 7182

"Master of the Dark Arts?" questioned Hellboy.

"I'm getting new ones." Constantine immediately retorted.

Hellboy studied the card before putting it into his coat.

"Alright, _Mr_. Constantine," Hellboy began.

"Please. " Constantine interrupted, "Call me John."

"Okay, _John_." murmured Hellboy, "You've answered my first question. Now the second. What are you doing here?"

"The same reason why you're here, Hellboy." answered Constantine, "To investigate a crime scene."

The mention of his name by Constantine took Hellboy by surprise.

"You know who I am?" asked Hellboy, "How?"

"Mate, you're a bright red demon with a stone fist for a hand." Constantine replied, "Not a lot of demons I know carry around the 'Right Hand of Doom' like a sledgehammer."

Constantine's reply further surprised Hellboy. As far as he was concerned, most humans had little to no knowledge of the origins of his stone fist. The only ones that did usually wanted to use it for their own ulterior motives, like Grigori Rasputin. Or the Nazis. Hellboy's suspicions grew.

"Besides, you're the B.P.R.D's best paranormal investigator." Constantine continued as he walked past Hellboy towards the grave, "You're quite famous in the occult circles."

Hellboy could only stare in silence as Constantine inspected the grave. His mind was filled with questions that desperately needed to be answered. Who was this mysterious person who had knowledge of not only him but also the B.P.R.D?

"You know about the B.P.R.D?" asked Hellboy.

"Yes." replied Constantine, with a hint of annoyance, "Look, mate. We can stand here all night in this bleeding weather playing 20 sodding questions or you can help me find what bloody killed that accountant."

Constantine's response took Hellboy aback. Here was guy who appeared out of nowhere, claiming to be a Master of the Dark Arts and he was ordering Hellboy around like a pet slave. This did not sit well with Hellboy, who shook his fists in anger. His anger was temporarily abated when a voice crackled from his earpiece.

"Hellboy!" Agent Clay's voice crackled loudly, "What's going on?"

"It's alright, Clay." Hellboy replied, turning his back towards Constantine, "Just an unexpected visitor."

"Unexpected visitor?" asked the voice.

"Yeah. Calls himself John Constantine." Hellboy replied, "He seems to be an occult investigator."

"Oh, one of those." retorted Agent Clay's voice. "Want me to get rid of him?"

"Nah, I've got this." answered Hellboy before turning towards Constantine, who was currently standing over the grave with his arms out.

"What do you think you're doing?" Hellboy exclaimed as he walked towards Constantine.

"A little revealing spell." answered Constantine without missing a beat, "Helps me identify how the poor sod was killed."

"So what?" replied Hellboy in a sarcastic tone, "You're gonna wave your wand and magically find out who our perpetrator is?"

"Oi." Constantine responded, "Don't knock it till you try it. Now stand back for me, mate."

Hellboy stood back, both suspicious and curious as to what the self-proclaimed Master of the Dark Arts would do. Constantine closed his eyes as he recited the spell.

" _Fold és a levego, hogy igaz legyen reveal E-te-titok_."

A strong gust of wind blew as Constantine finished his spell. Slowly, he opened his eyes and studied the grave. Hellboy, intrigued, looked at the grave. Nothing. Both occult investigators stared at the grave for a few more seconds. Still nothing.

"Bollocks." muttered Constantine.

"What?" asked Hellboy, sarcastically, "Your magic spell didn't work? What a surprise."

Constantine gave a wry chuckle to Hellboy's snide remarks.

"No." Constantine replied, "It means whatever killed the accountant wasn't from a magical spell or a ritual."

Constantine stood looking at the grave, his mind in deep thought. As if struck by inspiration, Constantine then began feverishly rummaging through his bag. Hellboy looked on with amusement.

"Well, I'd like to stay around." said Hellboy as he turned to walk away from the grave, "But I'm kinda in a hurry to look for some ghosts who might give me a better idea of what I'm dealing with."

"Hold up, mate!" yelled Constantine, stopping Hellboy in his tracks.

Hellboy looked back to see Constantine holding a piece of yellow paper in his hand.

"Why use ghosts." said Constantine, "when we can see what happened for ourselves."

"What do you.." Hellboy began before he was forcefully pulled by Constantine.

"Save your cynicism, mate." retorted Constantine, pulling Hellboy closer to him, "You're about to witness something brilliant. By the way, you don't happen to breathe fire now, do you?"

Hellboy looked at Constantine in disdain.

"Never mind." Constantine replied as he took out a lighter.

Constantine placed the piece of paper over the lighter, lighting it on fire. As the paper burned, he recited a spell.

" _Ximbatik kaajal ak bin-ka-aak-abtal."_

 _"_ Mayan?" Hellboy said to himself before noticing brown smoke materialising from the burning paper.

The brown smoke billowed from the burning paper and enveloped both Hellboy and Constantine. Hellboy waved his hands around as he struggled to see through the smoke but was momentarily distracted when a small wisp of the smoke materialised before him. He could not believe his eyes as that small wisp began to twist and thicken until it formed a sizeable mass. Hellboy began to have difficulty breathing as the mass continued to change its shape. As his vision began to blur, he caught a glimpse of the mass slowly transforming into a humanoid shape…..


	4. Chapter 3: Filial Son

Chapter 3: Filial Son

Shane Ferrend stood in front of his father's grave. He had just finished pulling away the weeds around the grave and had replaced the flowers that had been left there from a previous visit. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he looked at his watch. The digital contraption flashed 16:45 pm.

"That took longer than I expected." said a tired but satisfied Shane, putting both his hands on his hips, "But at least I did a spanking job."

As Shane stood to admire his work, a young but exhausted security guard walked up to him.

"Sir, we will be closing the cemetery in ten minutes." said the young security guard in a tired voice, "I will have to ask you to leave."

Shane looked at the security guard before looking back at his father's grave.

"Could you give us a few more minutes?" asked Shane softly, "It's been a while since I've visited."

The young security guard scratched the back of his head nervously as he contemplated Shane's request.

"I could get in trouble for this, mate." replied the security guard before shrugging his shoulders, "But you look alright. Just be out by 5 pm."

"Definitely. Thank you." Shane gladly exclaimed.

The young security guard then returned to his office as Shane continued to look at his father's grave. He couldn't remember the last time he had visited his father. Not since his relationship with his wife Katherine began deteriorating. He'd been spending months dealing with the divorce lawyers and preparing for the upcoming custody battle. Not to mention dealing with the allegations of financial fraud that currently plagued his company. And the discovery of the tumour in his lungs….

Shane shook these thoughts away. He wasn't here to wallow in self-pity. He was here to spend time with his father. Shane knelt down to touch Duncan's gravestone as the long forgotten memories of his father flooded back into his mind. Memories of his father helping him with his maths homework; teaching him how to swim. He remembered how happy his father was whenever he was with Shane and how his mother would watch them play; smiling with (perhaps) a little hint of jealousy. To the young Shane, all that mattered was his father's smile.

Then it happened.

Shane remembered sitting in the car as his mother drove to the hospital in complete silence. He remembered desperately trying to keep up to his mother's pace as she rushed through the hospital hallway. He remembered seeing his father lying on the hospital bed; the doctor speaking to his mother who was on the verge of tears. He remembered his mother bawling her eyes out when the doctor shook his head in sadness. He remembered the doctor's sympathetic face as he knelt down to speak to him. He didn't understand what the doctor said to him but he knew that something had happened to his father. And that he wasn't coming back. He remembered going to his father's side, violently shaking his hand and desperately yelling at him to wake up while the doctor could only watch in sombre silence. He remembered the moment at the funeral procession when his father's closest friends slowly lowered his father into the grave and him screaming at them to stop in case his father woke up. He remembered his mother refusing to speak to anyone as she slowly went into a severe depression. He remembered coming home one day to find her lying dead with her wrists slit. He remembered….

*splash*

Shane was pulled out of his trance to find himself crying. The tears had streamed down his face and had dropped onto the base of Duncan's gravestone. Shane watched as a small puddle began to form. Wiping away the tears from his now red eyes, Shane could only give a nervous laugh as he began to clean the base of his father's gravestone.

"Sorry, dad." choked Shane, still somewhat shaken, "Didn't mean to make such a mess."

Having wiped away the puddle, Shane continued to stare at his father's grave.

"I wish you were still with us, dad." Shane said in a melancholic tone, "You always knew what to do in times of trouble."

Shane began to stand up….

Suddenly, Shane felt his neck constricting as a pink tentacle found itself around his neck. Shane instinctively pulled at the pink tentacle to no avail. His attempt at screaming for help was cut short as the appendage tightened its hold around the accountant's neck. Shane was on all fours now, struggling for air. As the pink tentacle began to pulsate, Shane could feel his body getting weaker as his life was slowly drained away. His vision blurring, Shane subconsciously reached out to his father's gravestone.

"Dad…help…."

Then everything went black.

As the brown smoke dissipated, Hellboy went on all fours; gasping for air. Constantine, on the other hand, stood unscathed lighting a cigarette. He took a puff before looking at the gasping Hellboy.

"That's it. Deep breaths, mate." said Constantine as he patted Hellboy's back, "First time's always the most difficult."

"What..was..that?" gasped Hellboy.

"A Mayan spell." explained Constantine, "Recreates a scene through the medium of smoke. Almost similar to capnomancy but more reliable."

"So (coughs) what we saw was.." Hellboy started, getting back to his feet.

"The last moments of Shane Ferrend's life." finished Constantine, taking another puff of his cigarette, "At least now we know how he died."

Constantine began to rummage through his bag as Hellboy stood in silence, contemplating on what he had just experienced.

"It was like I was there." he muttered, "I saw his memories. I felt what he felt."

"Really?" asked Constantine, still busy rummaging through his bag, "All I saw and felt was the burning sensation of the smoke and a guy standing in front of his old man's grave before he got choked out of existence."

"You didn't see his memories?" asked a confused Hellboy, "The ones with his father?"

Constantine paused as he heard Hellboy's statement.

"No…" answered an intrigued Constantine; turning to Hellboy, "The spell only recreates a physical scene. It can't recreate emotions or memories. For that you need a…"

Constantine's face lit with elation as he turned to Hellboy. A knowing smile formed on his face.

"Witch's touch." Constantine said, slyly.

Hellboy could only stare in confusion as Constantine let out an amused laugh.

"Looks like you've got more magic in you than you give yourself credit for, mate." said the amused Constantine.

Hellboy briefly contemplated on Constantine's words. Meanwhile, Constantine continued rummaging through his bag until he found what he was looking for.

"But enough of that." remarked Constantine as he produced a stone with a circular hole, "We've got a demon to find."

"A hag stone?" asked Hellboy, "Aren't those usually used for seeing spirits or beings with glamour?"

"Correct." retorted Constantine, "But this one's different. This hag stone has been inscribed with a spell that allows its user to see demons. Got it off from a geriatric mage."

"You think our perpetrator's a demon?" questioned Hellboy.

Constantine paused at Hellboy's question.

"Ish." said Constantine, rocking his hand in a so-so gesture.

"Ish?" asked Hellboy in disbelief, "What do you mean by "Ish"?"

"It means," retorted Constantine as he began packing his bag, "It could either be a godforsaken demon or any bloody dark creature. Though in this case, it would most likely be a demon. Speaking from experience, of course."

Hellboy was about to respond when his ears suddenly pricked up to a soft scratching noise. He turned to identify the source of the noise only to be met with silence. Thinking he just imagined the noise, Hellboy turned back to Constantine. Then he heard it again. Quickly turning round, Hellboy scanned the surrounding graveyard; his ears listening intently. An angel statue just a few feet away from Duncan's grave caught his attention. Constantine remained oblivious as he continued to pack his bag. Staring intently at the angel statue, Hellboy made out what looked like a pair of floating green orbs staring back from behind the statue.

"Looks like we'll find out soon enough." Hellboy said, without looking away from the floating orbs.

Constantine turned to Hellboy in confusion before realising what Hellboy was looking at. As both occult detectives stared at the floating green orbs, a pink tentacle-like appendage suddenly shot out from the darkness at breakneck speed.

"Crap!" shouted Hellboy, quickly turning to Constantine, "JOHN!"

Constantine could only utter a single word as the pink appendage headed for his neck.

"Bugger."


	5. Chapter 4: A Sticky Situation

Chapter 4: A Sticky Situation

With the pink tentacle-like appendage mere seconds away from him, Constantine did the only thing he could think of: He closed his eyes. In the darkness, he waited for the moment when the serpentine appendage would coil around his neck and give him a good throttling. That moment did not arrive as Hellboy quickly put his stone hand in between Constantine and the pink appendage. The pink appendage coiled itself around the Right Hand of Doom; its grip quickly tightening. The pink appendage pulsated as it tried (and failed) to drain the blood from Hellboy's right arm. Constantine, who was wondering why he wasn't being throttled already, opened his eyes to find himself face to face with the pulsating pink appendage around Hellboy's stone fist.

"BLOODY HELL!" shouted Constantine, as he stumbled back in surprise before landing on his bottom.

Hellboy could only smile in amusement before his right hand was pulled by the pink appendage belonging to the mysterious creature.

"Oh no you don't!" Hellboy angrily said as he drove his cloven foot to the ground and pulled his arm back.

It was a battle of strengths as Hellboy struggled to remain where he stood while the mysterious creature continued to use its appendage to pull Hellboy towards it (Constantine likened it to a strange game of tug-o-war). To gain more leverage, Hellboy allowed more of the appendage to coil around his stone arm before using the same hand to grab the pink mass. With his enormous strength, Hellboy pulled the creature towards him. Hellboy's strength proved superior as the mysterious creature was slowly being pulled away from the angel statue. The mysterious creature's body that was previously shrouded in shadows was slowly revealed as Hellboy continued to pull it closer to the grave. Constantine took a good look at the creature. It was humanoid in shape with sickly dark green skin accentuated by a slimy and warty texture. The pink appendage wrapped around Hellboy's stone arm was revealed to be its tongue which was being violently stretched from the creature's mouth.

"Thought it was one of you." said Hellboy as he pressed his gun onto the creature's tongue, firing a few rounds.

The frog-like creature screamed in agony as its tongue was shredded by the gunfire. Its attempt to retract its tongue caused the appendage to tear at the point where Hellboy's gun was positioned. Its tongue in bloody tatters, the frog creature hopped away to further parts of the cemetery but not without leaving a trail of green blood. Hellboy looked on before shaking off the remains of the creature's tongue which was still coiled around his stone hand. The bloodied tongue fell to the ground with a wet plop; spasming for a few seconds before going limp.

"Ugh!" said Hellboy in disgust while rotating his stone wrist, "Hate it when they do that."

Hellboy turned towards Constantine who was staring at the limp tongue while still on his backside.

"You okay?" asked Hellboy, offering his hand to Constantine.

"Yeah." replied Constantine as he pulled himself up, "Just remembered what a pretty bird once told me."

As Constantine dusted himself, Hellboy's earpiece crackled.

"We heard gunfire." Agent Clay's voice crackled from the earpiece, "Is everything okay?"

"It's alright, Clay" assured Hellboy, putting his fingers to the earpiece, "We just found out our killer's a frog."

"A frog?" interjected Agent Myers voice.

"A frog monster?!" answered Agent Clay's voice, ignoring Agent Myer's voice, "This could be serious, Red. Was it just one?"

"The fact I'm still standing here talking to you instead of being surrounded by a mass of slimy tongues confirms that." confirmed Hellboy, "Question is what was it doing here?"

"Perhaps there's an Ogdru Hem nearby." Agent Clay's voice stipulated, "He might be trying to free it."

"Maybe." replied Hellboy, "Whatever it is we still need to stop this thing before it finds another victim."

"Right." answered Agent Myer's voice, "Do you need us there?"

"Nah." Hellboy declined, "I've got this."

"Alright." said Agent Clay's voice, "Contact us if you need assistance."

"Will do." answered Hellboy

Hellboy inspected his gun to find the barrel covered in a thin film of mucus. With a disgusted look, Hellboy wiped the barrel on his sleeve. Meanwhile, Constantine was squatting over the severed frog monster tongue; observing it with a curious look. His finger hovered over the appendage as he prepared to touch it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." said Hellboy, startling Constantine, "The tongue can still cause a lot of pain even in that condition."

Hearing Hellboy's statement, Constantine quickly retracted back his finger.

"Cheers for the warning." said Constantine as he stood up, "What in the bloody hell was that creature anyway?"

"A frog monster." answered Hellboy as he reloaded his gun, "Former humans and loyal servants of the Ogdru Hem."

"Ogdru Hem?" asked Constantine, "Don't believe I've encountered them."

"The Ogdru Hem are the monstrous offspring of the Ogdru Jahad, the great Dragon." explained Hellboy, "Their tasked to release the dragon from his prison so that he may burn the world to a cinder. Fortunately, the Ogdru Hem were imprisoned several millennia ago but they've started resurfacing recently. No thanks to our little frog friends. "

His gun reloaded, Hellboy turned to follow the trail of blood left by the frog creature.

"Oi!" cried Constantine, stopping Hellboy as he was going under the police tape, "Where you going?"

"To stop that thing." answered Hellboy, "Before it claims another victim."

"Well, by all means, let's go get that sodding frog." exclaimed Constantine as he grabbed his bag before moving towards Hellboy.

Hellboy gave an annoyed sigh as he turned to the approaching Constantine.

"Listen, buddy."Hellboy said in an annoyed tone; stopping Constantine in his tracks, "I'm grateful that you helped me with this case but it's my job to put this sucker down. And I don't need you following me around for that."

Constantine was taken aback by Hellboy's rejection of his help.

"Besides, I do my work best alone." said Hellboy before turning to follow the trail of blood left by the frog monster.

Constantine watched in silence as Hellboy disappeared from his sight before pulling out a cigarette.

"Typical Yank." uttered Constantine with annoyance as he lit the cigarette, "Always got to do things their bloody way. Like the stubborn wankers they are."

Constantine took a puff before exhaling out a cloud of smoke. A smile slowly crept onto his face.

"But you know what?" he said to himself, "I sense a kindred spirit in that one."

Constantine put the cigarette in his mouth as he walked in the direction Hellboy was headed.

"And like him." said Constantine, exhaling some smoke, "I'm also a stubborn wanker."

The Terrace Catacombs is one of Highgate Cemetery's famous architectural features; a proclamation it shares with the Egyptian Avenue and the mausoleum of Julius Beer. Originally a terrace for the gardens of Ashurst House which was demolished in 1830, the terrace now houses 825 coffins placed in the separate recesses that line the brick-vaulted gallery. During the day, the oculi set in the terrace uses the natural sunlight to provide illumination within the terrace's gallery. During the night, however, the terrace is shrouded in shadows with only the occasional moonlight providing the briefest of illumination…

The trail of blood began to thin as Hellboy approached the entrance of the Terrace Catacombs. Stopping to catch his breath, he took a moment to study the building.

"Old and dark." quipped Hellboy, "Just the perfect hiding spot for a slimy amphibian."

Drawing his gun, Hellboy cautiously entered the terrace. The 80 yard long gallery was dimly lit by the moonlight pouring in from the terrace's oculi. Hellboy cautiously walked through the gallery, carefully inspecting each of the recesses alongside it. There was still no sign of the frog monster as he approached the end of the gallery.

"Where'd you go, Slimy?" Hellboy said softly as he reached the end of gallery.

*splosh*

Hellboy whirled around, gun pointed at whatever was behind him. He found himself face to face with an empty gallery. For a few seconds he kept his gun pointed towards the gallery before letting out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, a drop of green blood landed on the sleeve of his outstretched left arm. Hellboy slowly looked up.

"Crap."

The frog monster, who had stuck itself to the ceiling of the terrace, pounced on Hellboy; relieving him of his gun and slamming him into the brick wall. Hellboy managed to land a punch on the frog monster's jaw before following up with an uppercut from his right hand. The frog monster staggered back in a daze as Hellboy grabbed it by the shoulder.

"Big mistake." said Hellboy angrily as he raised his stone right fist.

The sound of a skull being cracked could be heard as Hellboy slammed his fist into the frog monster's face; sending the creature flying a good distance away before landing hard on its back. The frog monster lay screeching in pain as Hellboy stood over its squirming body.

"Oh, suck it up." said Hellboy menacingly, "I'm not done with you yet."

The Terrace Catacombs shook with the sounds of agonised screeching followed by the pounding of flesh as Hellboy used his stone hand to pummel the frog monster's face.

"You killed an innocent man!" Hellboy said as he continued to angrily slam his stone fist into the creature's face, "You're gonna regret doing that, you bastard!"

As Hellboy continued his assault, the frog monster's screeching began to die down while its body slowly stopped squirming. After a few more minutes of pounding the creature's face, Hellboy stopped; visible exhausted. The frog monster had long since stopped screeching and its body had become still. Hellboy took another look at frog monster's pulverised face before getting up from its body. As he turned to look for his gun, he pressed his fingers to his earpiece.

"Clay. You there?" said an exhausted Hellboy.

"Hellboy." answered Agent Clay's voice, "You alright?"

"Barely." replied Hellboy, looking at the still body of the frog monster "Think I may have gone overboard hammering the bastard's face. It's not a pretty sight."

"Understood." Agent Clay's voice remarked, "Myers and I will come to retrieve the body."

"I'm in the terrace." said Hellboy as he continued to search for his gun, "See you guys soon."

Hellboy removed his fingers from the earpiece before spotting his gun lying a few feet away. As he sluggishly walked towards it, he took one last look at the frog monster's body. The body remained motionless. Seemingly satisfied, Hellboy turned back to the task of retrieving his gun. Letting out a deep sigh, he slowly bent down to pick the firearm up before putting it back into his holster. As he slowly turned around, Hellboy found himself staring into the disfigured face of the frog monster.

"Son of a…" uttered Hellboy before the frog monster gave him a powerful kick to the gut.

The kick sent him flying into the brick wall of the gallery. Before Hellboy had time to react, the frog monster spat out two globs of slime. The slime globs hit both of Hellboy's arms, sticking them against the brick wall. The slime then hardened into a resin, effectively immobilising Hellboy. Having already exhausted himself, Hellboy could do little to break free of his restraints. Meanwhile, a gurgling sound emanated from the frog monster's disfigured mouth, almost like it was laughing at the paranormal investigator's predicament. Hellboy could only watch helplessly as the frog monster approached him; its shredded pink tongue menacingly swinging from side to side.


	6. Chapter 5: Frog Legs

Chapter 5: Frog Legs

The disfigured frog monster lurched towards Hellboy until its face was up and close to that of the paranormal investigator's. Hellboy could smell its putrid breath before he turned his head away in disgust as the creature's shredded tongue snaked its way to his neck. His reaction seemed to amuse the frog monster as it emanated a sound likened to a chuckle. The shredded tongue slithered around Hellboy's neck, intentionally leaving a gap between the neck and itself. Hellboy could only wince in intense anticipation as the frog monster's tongue began to coil around his neck, slowly reducing the gap it had previously left. Just as the appendage was an inch away from Hellboy's neck, the frog monster suddenly retracted its tongue back into its mouth before stepping away from Hellboy. Hellboy only had brief moment of respite before he felt a sharp sting on his face. The frog monster had used its tongue to whip the paranormal investigator in the face. Hellboy looked at the frog monster in anger as blood streamed from the pockmarks on his right cheek, where the creature's tongue had struck him. The look of anger on Hellboy's face seemed to drive the frog monster into a gleeful frenzy. Hellboy could only wince in pain as the frog monster continued to lash its tongue at his body; leaving pockmarks wherever it struck. A puddle of blood soon formed on the terrace floor as the frog monster continued its sadistic assault.

After what seemed like a few agonising minutes, the frog monster stopped and admired its handiwork. Hellboy's bright red body was significantly paler as blood continued to flow from the pockmarks that now riddled his body. Weak from his extensive blood loss, Hellboy couldn't even bring himself to look at the frog monster who was creeping towards him with malicious intentions. The frog monster lifted up Hellboy's head as its tongue began to coil around the occult detective's neck.

"Oi!" cried a voice, startling the frog monster to retract its tongue.

The frog monster turned to face the voice only to find a dishevelled man in a trench coat standing a few feet away; smoking a cigarette.

"Is this a private party?" Constantine asked sarcastically as he took a puff of his cigarette, "Or can any bloke join in?"

The frog monster stared at Constantine with confusion. Confusion quickly turned to hunger as the creature slowly crept towards the smoking sorcerer; its tattered tongue swinging from side to side.

"Mind you, luv." said Constantine, cigarette in hand, "I enjoy a good whipping or two. But I think you need something a bit more rough."

As he completed his sentence, Constantine flung his burnt cigarette at the frog monster. The cigarette struck the disfigured face of the creature, causing it to growl in anger.

"Shall we skip the foreplay then?" quipped Constantine as the frog monster let out angry screech before charging on all fours towards the Liverpuldian.

Constantine remained where he stood with a smug grin on his face as the creature stormed towards him at full force before jumping into mid-air. Before it could land on the sorcerer, the frog monster's body was suddenly hit by an invisible force; sending it flying away from Constantine before crashing into the terrace floor. Confused and disoriented, the frog monster struggled to stand.

"Rough enough for you, mate?" asked Constantine sardonically before producing a talisman from his trench coat pocket.

The talisman was a pentacle which had eight etched straight lines within it. The lines served to represent the pentacle's radii with each line pointed to a specific Malachim alphabet.

"The 13th seal of King Solomon. Also known as the 6th pentacle of Mars." explained Constantine, "Serves to protect the owner from physical harm. Lovely against violent blighters like you."

Constantine pocketed the amulet as he looked at the staggering frog monster.

"I'd fancy some frog legs right about now." he quipped as his hands erupted into flames, "And I like mine well done."

Constantine threw two fireballs at the frog monster, striking its body. The slime that covered the creature's body proved flammable as the frog monster immediately caught fire. The creature screeched in pain as it frantically tried to put out the flames with its hands; only for them to catch fire as well.

"Still looks a bit raw to me." Constantine said aloud, his hand still engulfed in flames, "Better turn up the heat."

The terrace became brightly lit as Constantine directed a stream of fire from his flaming hands to the frog monster; completely engulfing the creature in magical fire. The frog monster could only screech in agony as its entire body began to blacken from the burning flames. The heat from the fire proved too much for Hellboy's restraints as the resin began to melt away. Their structure now compromised, the resin restraints failed to prevent Hellboy from collapsing into the pool of his own blood. Constantine continued his fiery assault as the frog monster's screeches of pain once again began to die down. Only when the body of the frog monster collapsed to the ground did Constantine stop his fiery attack. Shaking the flames from his hands, he approached the charred remains of the frog monster.

"Bugger." said Constantine in disappointment, "I've gone and overdid it. "

Constantine slowly poked at the blackened frog monster with the tip of his shoe before the creature's remains crumbled into ash.

"Never was good at French cooking." Constantine said to himself as he made his way to Hellboy.

Hellboy floundered in his pool of blood. He had recovered some of his strength but was still too weak to stand. Constantine knelt down beside the blood-soaked investigator.

"Easy there, mate." said Constantine as he placed Hellboy's stone right arm around his shoulder, "I've got you."

With Constantine's help, Hellboy staggered to his feet.

"Now, aren't you glad I didn't bugger off?" teased Constantine.

Hellboy could only give a weak smile as he and Constantine stumbled towards the exit. Meanwhile, Agent Clay and Agent Myers had just arrived at the entrance of the Terrace Catacombs. Both agents were surprised when they saw a severely wounded Hellboy being carried from the terrace by an unknown man.

"Evening, lads." greeted Constantine, "Mind giving us a hand?"

Agent Clay immediately took Constantine's place whilst Agent Myers slid Hellboy's left arm around his shoulders.

"It's okay, big guy." Agent Myers said with assurance, "You're in safe hands now."

Hellboy could only give a weak nod before he went unconscious. Agent Clay looked to Constantine who was rotating his shoulder.

"We'll take it from here." said Agent Clay before switching to a questioning tone, "What happened in there?"

"Aw, nothing much." replied Constantine, lighting a cigarette, "We were just preparing some frog legs."

Agent Clay looked at Constantine in confusion.

"Just pulling your leg, mate." Constantine assured, "The slimy sod's dead. He won't be terrorising this graveyard again."

Agent Clay took a moment before he finally understood Constantine's words.

"Well, thank you for rescuing him anyway." Agent Clay said with gratitude, "And you are?"

"Constantine." said the Liverpuldian occult detective as he took a puff of his cigarette, "It's part of me job, mate. Rescuing people from the supernatural."

Agent Clay only gave a small smile before motioning to Agent Myers. Constantine watched as the two B.P.R.D. agents carried Hellboy back to their van at the west entrance of the cemetery. Taking a last puff of his cigarette before tossing it to the ground, Constantine grabbed his bag and headed in the opposite direction.

"Best get a move on." Constantine thought to himself as he walked towards the east entrance, "Before Chas sticks me with an expensive cab fare."

* * *

"God, I could use a cup of tea right about now."

It had been two years since Geoff Bridges worked as a night shift security guard for the Natural History Museum of London. There weren't a lot of jobs available for the man approaching his 60s and Geoff had no intention of retiring. Tales of excessive boredom that plagued his fellow retirees made sure of that. When he had applied for security guard job, he initially thought it would not only give him an outlet to stave his boredom (with the bonus of getting paid) but it also would allow him to see the new exhibits that the museum had to offer. Halfway through his first year on the job, however, it became clear that he had gotten quite bored of inspecting the museum's exhibits every night. The museum would have some new exhibits once in a while but usually Geoff would get bored of those after a few nights. Geoff gave a tired sigh as he walked pass the fossilised skeleton of the _Diplodocos_ affectionately called Dippy.

"Why do I still bother doing this?" he thought to himself, as he walked through the Green Zone; briefly inspecting the 'Birds' display with his flashlight.

Geoff continued to question himself as he entered the Red Zone, the zone dedicated to exhibits pertaining to Earth's history.

"It certainly wasn't because of the money." he thought as he inspected the bakery, "I've had jobs that paid more than what they're giving me now."

As he flashed his torch around the kitchen, Geoff's mind went back to when he first told his grandchildren about working at the museum at night. Their faces were filled with excitement and curiosity when he told them how different the exhibits looked when seen in the dark. Later, they bombarded him with questions like: "Were you frightened?" or "Did the exhibits come to life?" and other strange questions. Geoff felt proud answering their questions. In his grandchildren's eyes, he had the coolest job in the world.

"Yeah." he thought to himself as he stood in the Earth Hall with a smile, "That's why."

His attention was then diverted to the Human Evolution hall. The banner that hung above the entrance read:

 **Egyptian Symbols and Artefacts: Treasures of the Ancient Civilisation**

This was the latest exhibition by the Natural History Museum. Dedicated to displaying Ancient Egyptian artefacts, it proved to be very popular with museum visitors. All this seemed to stem from their strange fixation on one particular artefact…

Geoff scratched his head as he struggled to remember that particular exhibit. The exhibition had only been there for a few days and Geoff prided himself for his good memory. So why was he having difficulty remembering what this Egyptian artefact was?

"Oh well." he said to himself, shrugging his shoulders, "Guess I'll just give myself a reminder."

Geoff entered the Human Evolution hall. The Egyptian exhibition was designed like a gallery, with the exhibits lined along a diverging path from the hall entrance. Geoff recalled the exhibit in question being located at the far right of the hall; just after the bust of Tutankhamun. Geoff headed to the right side of the hall; passing by a statue of the Egyptian cat god Bastet and several canopic jars. As he neared the bust of Tutankhamun, he expected to find the mysterious artefact on the pedestal next to the bust. Geoff could only stare in shock and disbelief when he found said pedestal devoid of the artefact in question.

"Oh dear." he uttered as he pulled out his phone and dialed for the police.


	7. Chapter 6: Mystery in the Museum

Chapter 6: Mystery in the Museum

Hellboy awoke to find himself lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room. As he groggily sat up to survey his surroundings, he noted that the room he was in resembled that of a typical student lodging. The room was small, with the bed facing the main door and a slightly used cupboard. Next to the cupboard was a small sink with an equally small greasy-looking mirror above it. As Hellboy turned to his right, he found his trench coat draped over an empty chair, next to a slightly dusty table. The room was lit by natural light emanating from the window behind him. As he got out of bed, Hellboy caught a glimpse of himself in the grease covered mirror. His skin had returned to its original bright red colour and his body was covered in bandages. A medical gauze pad was taped to his right cheek. As Hellboy removed the dressings from his body, he found it free of the pockmark wounds the frog monster had inflicted on him. Turning his attention to the window, Hellboy gazed at the busy street below. A black London cab parked outside caught his attention.

"Looks like we're still in London." Hellboy muttered.

Hellboy turned around to the sound of the door handle turning as Agent Myers entered the room with a hot mug of coffee. There was a look of surprise and relief on his face when he saw Hellboy standing at the window.

"Hellboy!" Agent Myers exclaimed, as he set his coffee cup onto the table, "Glad to see you're awake. How do you feel?"

"Fine." replied Hellboy as he walked towards the young agent, "A bit groggy that's all."

"Good." said Agent Myers with relief as he inspected Hellboy's body, "It looks like your injuries have healed up nicely as well."

"Yeah." Hellboy said, sitting on the bed, "How long was I out for?"

"Two days." answered Agent Myers as he sat down on the chair; sipping his coffee, "Clay and I were getting worried."

Hellboy gave a small smile before looking at the window again.

"Two days, huh?" he asked rhetorically, "Thought we'd be back in America by now."

"I thought so too." Agent Myers chimed in, taking another sip of his coffee, "Clay seems to have a better idea of what's going on though. Speak of the devil..."

Hellboy and Agent Myers turned to face Agent Clay as he entered the room.

"I was wondering why you were taking so long." Agent Clay said towards Agent Myers, before turning his attention to Hellboy, "Good to see that you're up and running, Red."

"Thanks." Hellboy said as he stood up from the bed to face the burly agent, "Any idea what we're still doing here in London?"

"It seems the Bureau's got another mission for us." answered Agent Clay, "I'm not too sure about the details myself. Chief of Field Operations was to brief us once all three of us were mission ready."

"Well then." remarked Hellboy, putting on his trench coat, "Let's not waste any more time then."

A few minutes later, the three American B.P.R.D. agents found themselves walking along the corridor of the building; passing a few British agents along the way.

"Polite little fellas, aren't they?" said Hellboy as he received another "Good Morning" from yet another British B.P.R.D. agent, "Where exactly are we?"

"The Limehouse Public Library." answered Agent Clay, "It was closed down in 2003 due to disuse. Officially, it's currently being redeveloped into a student accommodation."

"Explaining the room we were just in." Agent Myers interjected.

"In truth, it has been the Bureau's England headquarters for some time now." Agent Clay continued, "Headed by Chief Alex Thompson. She'll be in charge of the mission briefing."

"She?" questioned Hellboy in confusion.

Hellboy's question was left unanswered as Agent Clay stopped in front of a worn out wooden door. The plague on the door read:

ALEX G. THOMPSON

Chief of Field Operations

Agent Clay proceeded to knock on the door.

"Come in." answered a feminine voice with a heavy British accent.

All three agents proceeded to enter. Unlike Hellboy's room, the room they entered was designed like a narrow office; with four file cabinets lining the right side of the room and a large bookshelf spanning the left side of the room. The file cabinets and the bookshelf formed a passage leading to a large wooden desk which was placed in front of another large bookshelf. Between the large wooden desk and the large bookshelf, sat a red-headed woman wearing a sharp business suit. She appeared to be in her mid-30s and had sharp facial features; complemented with pronounced cheekbones. Hellboy noted that she had a commanding presence befitting of her title.

"Good morning, gentlemen. Alex Thompson, Chief of Field Operations." she politely said as she stood up and greeted each of the American agents with a handshake before motioning to the chairs opposite her desk, "Please have a seat."

The American B.P.R.D. agents sat down as Chief Alex studied them intently.

"Could I offer anyone of you a cup of tea? Perhaps coffee?" she asked, glancing at each agent's face.

"No, thanks. I'm good." answered Agent Clay.

"I've already had a cup, thank you." Agent Myers declined.

Hellboy remained silent.

Chief Thompson proceeded to speak to the intercom.

"Jenny." she ordered, "A cup of tea, please. Thank you."

Releasing her finger from the intercom button, Chief Thompson turned her attention back to the American B.P.R.D. agents.

"Gentlemen." she began, "Allow me to first thank you for remaining in London to aid us. I understand that you have only just completed a mission that, unfortunately, left Agent Hellboy unconscious for two days."

The red-headed Chief of Field Operations turned to Hellboy as she completed her sentence.

"I trust that you are in better health now, Agent Hellboy?" she asked, studying the paranormal investigator intently.

"Yeah." replied an uncomfortable Hellboy as he rubbed his right shoulder, "Feeling much better now."

"Good." Chief Thompson said with relief before she was momentarily distracted by a knock on her door.

"That must be Jenny with my tea. Excuse me." she said in a polite tone, "Come in."

A young pretty brunette in an office attire walked in with a tray containing a cup of tea. As Jenny walked towards the desk, Agent Myers could not help but stare in admiration of her beauty. His actions did not go unnoticed as Jenny flashed him a coy smile before handing her superior her cup of tea.

"Thank you, Jenny." Chief Thompson said politely; choosing to ignore the exchange between her assistant and Agent Myers as she took a sip of her tea, "That will be all."

Jenny gave a polite nod as she left the office but not before flashing another smile at the young agent. Agent Myers watched with a longing expression as she disappeared through the office door before a slight nudge by Agent Clay returned his attention back to the mission briefing. Hellboy tried hard to stifle his laughter before immediately switching to a serious expression when Chief Thompson cleared her throat.

"Now then, gentlemen." Chief Thompson said in a serious tone as she handed some documents to the American B.P.R.D. agents for their reference, "Two nights ago, a security guard from the Natural History Museum of London reported a missing exhibit from the museum's latest exhibition on Egyptian artefacts being held in the Human Evolution hall."

"The police found no signs of breaking and entering of the museum." she continued, "The investigation was also complicated by the lack of camera footage of the incident as the CCTV systems in the Red Zone were in the midst of being upgraded. One thing that the police found quite strange, however, was the staff members' inability to recall or describe the missing artefact. Regular visitors of the Egyptian exhibition also had similar difficulties."

"Did they check the museum's records?" asked Agent Myers as he read the report he was given, "Museums usually catalogue each and every one of their exhibits before displaying them to the public."

"That is usually the case, Agent Myers." replied Chief Thompson, "Unfortunately, the police were unable to find the record for the missing artefact. Either it had been deleted or the artefact was never catalogued in the first place. Nonetheless, the museum enlisted the B.P.R.D.'s help on the matter and we sent a team with two of our best psychics to determine what happened to the missing artefact."

"And their report?" enquired Agent Clay as he searched for said report amongst the documents.

"They never submitted it." the redhead said with a grim tone, "When the team went to view the site of the missing exhibit, one psychic immediately fell into an epileptic fit whilst the other went into a self-induced coma. Both have been admitted to the Royal Hospital of London and are currently undergoing treatment."

The American B.P.R.D. agents could only look to each other in grim silence.

"Sounds like they were subjected to a psychic assault," Hellboy said, breaking the silence.

"I believe so." confirmed Chief Thompson, "Agent Green and Agent Kapur were our best psychics and also our strongest. Whoever inflicted this psychic assault must be very powerful to be able to cripple them to that extent."

"Another psychic perhaps?" questioned Agent Clay, "Was there anybody else at the scene?"

"Not that we were aware of, Agent Clay." answered Chief Thompson, "Standard B.P.R.D. protocol states that in the event a psychic is used for an investigation, only fellow B.P.R.D. members should be allowed at the site of the investigation for the psychic's protection. The team confirmed that they followed protocol and were the only ones in the hall when the attack happened."

"So, a dead end then." Agent Myers said with a defeated tone.

"I'm afraid so." replied the Chief of Field Operations as she took another sip of tea, "Without a way to determine how the crime was committed, we can't discover the identity of the culprit nor can we identify the artefact that was stolen. I was hoping Agent Hellboy's expertise would aid us with this conundrum."

Hellboy pondered in silence as he processed the information that had been given to him. As far as he was concerned, it was plausible that another psychic could have caused the attack since most psychics were capable of psychic assaults. Psychic attacks could range from a simple mind control to the more difficult mind wipe, and their strength was dependent on the strength of the psychic. The stronger the psychic, the stronger the assault. However, the culprit would still have to be in the vicinity of Agent Green and Agent Kapur in order to psychically attack them but, as the redheaded Chief stated, there was nobody else in the hall except for the B.P.R.D. team. Her confident assertion on the mental strength of both Agent Green and Agent Kapur also convinced Hellboy that they wouldn't have easily fallen from a psychic assault. What he found perplexing, however, was not the fact that both the psychic agents were immediately incapacitated by the psychic attack but rather how the rest of the museum's staff and visitors fell victim to the attack as well. The amount of concentration required for a psychic assault usually meant that psychics could only target a single individual; no matter how powerful the psychic was. To cause such a widespread assault would require some form of enhancement; usually in the form of some ancient jewel or relic of sorts. Hellboy's eyes widened as he was struck with a sudden epiphany.

"What if magic was involved?" Hellboy said questioningly.

Everyone turned their heads to Hellboy with confusion.

"Think about it." Hellboy explained, "Even a very powerful psychic would not be able to floor two psychics at the same time let alone cause a widespread memory wipe. Not without some form of enhancement anyway."

A suggestive grin crept onto his face.

"And wasn't there a missing ancient artefact involved in all this?" he asked knowingly.

Everyone sat in silence as they considered Hellboy's explanation. Slowly, Chief Thompson's stoic expression broke as her eyes widened with realisation.

"Of course!" she said with a hint of excitement, "Assuming that our culprit was a psychic and assuming that the missing artefact somehow had the magical ability to magnify psychic energy, his psychic abilities would be amplified to the point he would not only affect two people but also affect a large group of people. Depending on how much power the artefact granted him, the culprit wouldn't even need to be in the vicinity to cause an effect."

"That explains what happened to both Agent Green and Agent Kapur." Agent Myers chimed as he too was struck by realisation, "And why the staff and visitors can't remember the artefact!"

"Well done, Hellboy!" Chief Thompson congratulated Hellboy, "We may be working on a lot of assumptions but you may have found us our first lead."

"That's our Red for you." said Agent Clay proudly, patting the red-skinned paranormal investigator on the back, "He _is_ the Bureau's best paranormal investigator after all."

Hellboy gave a small grin in response to Agent Clay's praise as Chief Thompson made her way to one of her file cabinets.

"So, what do you suggest we do then?" asked Agent Myers as he turned to face the redhead, "Assuming our culprit is a psychic?"

"We'll first need to identify the missing artefact so that, whatever happened to Agent Green and Agent Kapur, does not happen to us as well." answered Chief Thompson as she pulled open the top drawer of the file cabinet, "For that, we'll need an expert on magic. They should be able to identify the artefact which, in turn, might help us track the culprit down."

The redhead Chief scanned through the contents of the metal drawer before pulling out a folder.

"And I know just the right person for the job." said Chief Thompson, closing the file cabinet drawer as she made her way back to her desk; folder in hand.

The redheaded Chief placed the folder on her desk before sitting down. Curious, Hellboy grabbed the folder; intent on reading its contents.

"The Bureau has expressed interest in recruiting him as one of our agents." continued Chief Thompson as she took another sip from her cup, "Given his vast knowledge of the occult and magical circles, he would be a valuable asset to our organisation. So far, however, he has rejected all our offers of membership."

As Hellboy opened the folder, a small piece of paper slipped out and landed on the floor. Hellboy bent to pick it up only to realise it was a photograph. Hellboy's eyes widened in surprise as he recognised the dishevelled-looking man in the photo.

"He goes by many names." the redhead Chief of Field Operations continued, "Hellblazer, ConJob, The Laughing Magician, The world's greatest con man. But most know him simply as.."

"John Constantine." uttered a surprised Hellboy.


	8. Chapter 7: The Black Lion

Chapter 7: The Black Lion

"What are the odds?!" Hellboy muttered to himself as he went through the B.P.R.D.'s folder on John Constantine.

Other than the picture of the occult detective, the folder contained a copy of Constantine's birth certificate as well as a standard B.P.R.D. report. Hellboy scanned through the birth certificate. Other than stating his date of birth and that he was from Liverpool, the certificate did not yield any insight into Constantine's personal history. Hellboy sighed in frustration as he turned his attention to the B.P.R.D. report, hoping that the document would fare better in providing more useful information on the Liverpuldian magician. His attention was temporarily disrupted as the DHL van he was in went over a traffic bump; causing Hellboy to hit his head on the van's roof. Hellboy groaned in pain before banging his stone fist on the van's solid bulkhead.

"Guys!" he yelled, "Could you keep it down? I'm trying to read here!"

"Sorry, Red!" came Agent Clay's voice, "Still getting used to driving on the left side."

Hellboy could only grunt in annoyance before turning back to the Bureau's report. The report stated that Constantine had been a frontman for a punk rock group called Mucous Membrane before an incident in Newcastle led to the group being disbanded. The report's description of the Newcastle incident was vague at best but made it clear that the incident caused Constantine to commit himself to Ravenscar Psychiatric Hospital. The report added that Constantine was subsequently freed from the hospital by London gangsters but would return once in a while. The rest of the report documented the Liverpuldian magician's escapades following his time after Ravenscar, albeit in very little detail. Within the paragraphs of text in the report, a singular address was highlighted:

 **135, HIGH STREET NORTH, EAST HAM, LONDON E6 1HZ**

Hellboy looked at the highlighted address as he recalled Chief Thompson mentioning its importance. It would seem that Constantine had been recently appearing at this address regularly in the evenings and the redhead Chief believed that the address was their best chance of finding the Liverpuldian.

"How long till we reach the address?" yelled Hellboy as he banged his fist on the van's bulkhead.

"Not too sure." answered Agent Clay with a hint of annoyance, "I think the GPS said the journey would take 20 minutes but I'm having a bit of difficulty understanding it."

"A deux cents mètres, tourner à gauche." beeped an electronic French male voice.

"Of all the GPS devices that were available to us," Agent Clay voice sounded both annoyed and regretful, "I had to take the French one."

"Guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way." Agent Myers voice joined in as sounds of creaking leather seats were heard, "I'll get the map."

Hellboy could only cover his eyes and shake his head in hopelessness as the GPS continued to give out the directions in French.

"This is going to be a long drive."

* * *

After what seemed like an hour, the American B.P.R.D. agents arrived at the designated address. By now, the sun had set and the night air had become chilly. As usual, Agent Clay and Agent Myers inspected the surroundings before the burly agent banged on the side door of the van. Hellboy stepped out of the van to find himself in front of a small, empty outdoor carpark behind a shop lot. The shop lot building's back spotlights served to emphasis the carpark's emptiness.

"This the place?" Hellboy asked as he surveyed the carpark, "I was expecting a building or something."

"This is it." answered Agent Clay, "Based on Myer's map reading and the fact that the GPS device hasn't shut up for the past few minutes."

Agent Clay motioned to the GPS device on the DHL van's dashboard which was loudly repeating, "Vous êtes arrivé à votre destination." in its electronic French male voice.

"What would John Constantine be doing in a carpark?" asked a confused Agent Myers, "There's nothing here."

"It may look like nothing." rebuked Agent Clay, "But we mustn't forget that Constantine is an expert in magic. He might have used a spell to conceal something here."

"Clay's right." Hellboy said in agreement, "My instincts tell me there's definitely something here. You two stay with the van and make sure no one comes around. I'm gonna go investigate."

Both Agent Clay and Agent Myers nodded in agreement as Hellboy made his way into the carpark. He had expected to meet some form of magical resistance at the carpark's entrance but was surprised when he entered carpark with ease. This only served to make Hellboy even more cautious as he slowly walked through the carpark; his eyes intent on finding something out of place within the area. Minutes ticked by as Hellboy slowly inspected every inch of the carpark. Anticipation slowly gave way to boredom as Agent Clay and Agent Myers continued watching Hellboy for thirty minutes.

"Have you found anything?" yelled Agent Clay, startling Agent Myers.

"Nope." Hellboy yelled back as he stood in the centre of the carpark, "Doesn't look like there's anything here."

Agent Clay gave a dejected sigh as he looked at his watch, noting that it was now 8:30 pm.

"And not even an appearance by Constantine." Agent Clay said with a depressing tone; putting his watch away, "Maybe there really isn't anything here."

"Maybe he just hasn't found it yet." Agent Myers said, trying to sound optimistic, "Give Red a little more time."

"We're just wasting our time standing out here in the cold." the burly agent impatiently said, pulling up his coat in emphasis of his statement, "I'm calling it quits."

Agent Myers could only look in disappointment as Agent Clay began to yell at Hellboy.

"Red! Call it!' he yelled, "We'll report back to Chief Thompson that the address was a dud."

Hellboy was hesitant to leave the carpark after hearing Agent Clay's suggestion; his mind in conflict with his instincts. On one hand, he knew he had no reason to remain in the carpark as there was nothing else to be found in the area. On the other hand, his instincts told him that there was definitely something in carpark. After a moment of contemplation, Hellboy gave a dejected sigh as he made his way back to the DHL van. Perhaps his instincts weren't as sharp as they used to be, he thought.

As he approached the van, something suddenly caught Hellboy's eye. Behind the parked DHL van was a small alleyway where an old rusty car was parked. His instincts compelling him to investigate, Hellboy walked towards the rusty car. Agent Clay and Agent Myers were surprised and confused as they watched the red-skinned paranormal investigator walk past the van only to stand in front of a rusty car in the alley behind them. Hellboy studied the vehicle intently. The car appeared to be very old and was missing its side mirrors. As he inspected the front of the car, he made out a series of random scratch marks on the hood. Upon closer inspection, however, Hellboy discovered that the scratches formed a Latin phrase. Hellboy read the phrase aloud,

" _Et omne nigrum leo suscipit._ "

Suddenly, the rusty car hood sprang open to reveal a swirling vortex. Hellboy found himself being sucked into the vortex as Agent Clay and Agent Myers watched in horror.

"RED!" they yelled; running to the rusty car as the vortex swallowed Hellboy.

Before the agents had a chance to follow, the car hood slammed itself shut. Agent Clay and Agent Myers desperately tried to pry the rusty car hood open but to no avail. Meanwhile…

* * *

Hellboy found himself travelling through the vortex before being spat out into an unknown location.

"Damn it!" cried Hellboy as he stood up from the ground to dust himself, "Should have known better than to read out Latin phrases. Now, where the hell am I?"

That question would have to be answered later as Hellboy found himself in front of what looked like a late 19th Century building. Dark and foreboding, the neo-gothic building had a haunted house-like atmosphere; further accentuated by its brightly lit windows. The only thing that gave the building's identity away was the bold yellow letters that encircled its sides which spelt out:

 **THE BLACK LION**

"A pub." Hellboy exclaimed, "An old one from the looks of it. Interesting."

As Hellboy made his way to the pub's entrance, he could hear the sounds of laughter and merriment. The sounds only serve to get louder as Hellboy pushed the pub doors open. What awaited him as he stepped into the pub left the red-skinned paranormal investigator speechless.


	9. Chapter 8: Two Detectives in a Bar

Chapter 8: Two Detectives in a Bar

As the Bureau's top paranormal investigator, Hellboy has experienced many strange supernatural cases on a daily basis. Some of the supernatural cases he's been involved with include investigating an attack by an Indonesian vampire (called a Penanggalan) that separates its head and internal organs from its body every night to feed on the blood of newborn mothers, and stopping a disembodied head of a Nazi scientist and his physically-enhanced gorilla assistant from extracting spinal fluid from young women. With many more supernatural cases under his belt, Hellboy could confidently say that he was no stranger to the weird and strange, and his experiences made him somewhat an expert on the supernatural. However, as experienced as he was with the supernatural, the red-skinned paranormal investigator was still unprepared for what beheld him when he entered the Black Lion.

Instead of human patrons, the pub was filled with all manner of creatures. Some of the creatures resembled mythical woodland creatures, such as gnomes and fairies, while some resembled dark creatures, like werewolves and goblins. The fact that these creatures were mingling freely amongst themselves over glasses of alcohol took Hellboy by complete surprise. Right in the middle of the pub was the bar, manned by a blue-skinned humanoid demon in a tight black shirt. Hellboy made his way to the bar, carefully stepping over a very inebriated plant creature. The blue demon bartender was busy cleaning a glass before noticing the approaching red-skinned paranormal investigator. His sombre expression was quickly replaced with that of sudden interest as Hellboy reached the bar top.

"And what can I do you for, handsome stranger?" he asked Hellboy with a playful smile.

"I'm looking for someone." Hellboy answered, slightly disturbed by the blue-skinned bartender's smile, "A man to be specific."

"Are you now?" the demonic bartender said in mock surprise before shifting to a flirtatious tone, "So am I."

"Right…" uttered Hellboy, getting uncomfortable, "He goes by the name John Constantine. Seen him around?"

"Oh. Him." came the reply as the blue-skinned bartender's flirtatious tone abruptly switched to that of annoyance and disappointment, "Yeah, I've seen him around."

"Great." Hellboy said with relief, "Mind telling me where he is?"

"I could." replied the demonic bartender before giving a sly grin, "But I think I won't."

"What?" Hellboy remarked in confusion.

"Tell you what." the blue-skinned bartender said coyly, leaning over the bar top until he was only a few inches away from Hellboy, "I'll tell you where he is if you'll have a drink on me."

"Sorry. Umm…" a visibly uncomfortable Hellboy replied, "I'm not supposed to drink on the job."

"Oh, don't make me beg." the demonic bartender playfully pleaded, "Just one glass, I promise."

Hellboy struggled to give an answer as the blue-skinned bartender looked at him with bedroom eyes. After a few seconds, Hellboy gave a defeated sigh.

"Alright." he said in a yielding tone, "Give me your finest."

The demonic bartender seemed to squeal with glee as he went to prepare Hellboy's drink.

"A house special then." the blue-skinned bartender announced as he took out a carton of pineapple juice and a bottle of maraschino liqueur, "Just for you."

Hellboy could only watch as the blue-skinned bartender mixed the two ingredients into his mixer before adding some orange bits and a strange blue liquid. The liquid mixture had a deep purple hue as the blue demon poured it into a champagne glass. As a finishing touch, he garnished the drink with a black cherry.

"A Bleu Amore Saratoga." the blue bartender announced with pride, handing the glass over to Hellboy, "For the handsome red stranger."

"Thanks." Hellboy replied as he picked up his glass, "Now, where is he?"

"He's in the second last booth on the left." the blue-skinned bartender said, pointing to his right, "Can't miss him."

"Thanks." Hellboy uttered once again as he turned towards the direction he was pointed to but stopped short when he felt the demonic bartender caress his shoulder.

"You know, if you're dissatisfied with him," the blue-skinned bartender coyly said as he continued to caress Hellboy's shoulder, "I'm always available. Name's Ricky."

"Thanks for the offer, Ricky." Hellboy said uneasily before quickly walking away from the bar but not before shuddering with discomfort as he caught the demonic bartender winking at him.

His cocktail in hand, Hellboy approached Constantine's booth; noting that some of the pub's dark occupants were looking at him with a hint of disgust and interest. As he neared the booth, he saw Constantine sitting alone with a glass in his hand and a half-empty bottle of whisky on the table. The Liverpuldian occult detective looked visually surprised when he saw Hellboy approaching him.

"Hellboy!?" exclaimed Constantine in surprise as he stood up to greet the red-skinned paranormal investigator, "How'd you been, mate? Last time I saw you, you were bleeding all over my trench coat."

"Yeah. Sorry about that." Hellboy replied with a nervous laugh, "Mind if I join you?"

"Go right ahead, mate." Constantine exclaimed enthusiastically as he motioned to the seats opposite him before sitting down himself, "I was dying for some company."

Hellboy placed his cocktail on the table as he sat opposite Constantine.

"I see Ricky's given you the house special." Constantine said, pointing to Hellboy's cocktail, "Yours truly was the first one he served it to. Only gives it to the people he wants to bed."

"Yeah, I figured as much." uttered Hellboy with unease as he recalled Ricky winking at him, "What is he, an Incubus?"

"A full blooded one. Lucky sod's got the biggest prick I know." answered Constantine with pride as he finished his whisky, "I was right sore in the morning."

"Okay. Didn't need to know that." Hellboy said with visible discomfort as he tried to mentally push away his imagination of Constantine and Ricky's lovemaking.

There was a few seconds of awkward silence between the two occult detectives before Hellboy spoke again.

"Thanks for rescue at Highgate." Hellboy said gratefully, "I owe you my life."

"You don't owe me anything, mate." responded Constantine modestly, surprising Hellboy,"As far as I'm concerned, you saved me from a good throttling from that amphibious bastard. That makes us even."

Hellboy could only give a small chuckle as Constantine poured himself another glass of whisky.

"So," Hellboy began as he took a sip of his cocktail, "What is this place anyway?"

"The Black Lion was a pub that ran from 1851 to 1973." explained Constantine as he took another swill of whisky, "When the pub was to be torn down by the council for road maintenance, the owner wasn't very happy. So he made a deal with Ricky over there to preserve a piece of his family's history."

"By asking Ricky to put the pub in an alternate dimension?" questioned Hellboy.

"In a sense." Constantine answered, "The only reason why the pub even exists in this dimension is because everyone here believes it exists."

"I don't follow." said a confused Hellboy, taking another sip of his drink.

"Don't blame you, mate." said a smug Constantine, finishing his whisky, "Even I had a hard time getting my head around it. Just know that everyone here is keeping the pub alive in a very literal sense."

Hellboy remained confused by Constantine's statement but decided to focus on something else.

"The patrons." Hellboy began, "They're all..."

"Mythical creatures." answered Constantine as he poured another glass of whisky, "The Black Lion's one of the few safe havens where they don't have to use glamour to hide from humans. They're free to be who they really are in this place."

Hellboy studied the crowd more closely in response to Constantine's explanation. The pub's mythical occupants were certainly in a very jovial mood, singing and laughing amongst their fellow creatures.

"Merry bunch, aren't they?" Constantine remarked, bringing Hellboy's attention back to the Liverpuldian occult detective, "I'd be merry too if I could just be myself for one day without having to be constantly afraid of being discovered."

Hellboy reflected on Constantine's words as the Liverpuldian occult detective downed another glass of whisky.

"But that's enough of me talking." said Constantine as he poured his fourth glass of whisky, "What brings you to the Black Lion, mate?"

"I'm actually here on official Bureau business." replied Hellboy, his tone becoming serious.

"Oh?" asked Constantine in a suspicious tone, slowly putting the whisky glass to his lips, "Who's the lucky bugger?"

"Actually," Hellboy answered, "I came to see you."

Constantine's paused for a brief second as he comprehended Hellboy's words. Slowly, he placed his glass back on the table.

"You came to see me," repeated a very suspicious Constantine, "On official B.P.R.D. business?"

"Yes." answered Hellboy stoically.

"Bollocks!" Constantine uttered angrily under his breath, "I knew it was too good of a coincidence."

"I've been sent by Chief Alex Thompson." Hellboy continued, "She has requested for your help in a case we're currently working on."

"Did she now?" Constantine answered sarcastically, "Well I'm sorry, mate. Really, I am. But you can go tell her that I formally decline."

"But you haven't heard the case yet…"Hellboy started.

"And I don't intend to." Constantine angrily rebuked, cutting Hellboy short, "That sodding witch has been sending agent after agent to convince me to work for the Bureau for bleeding months now. Can't even go for a bloody piss without being approached by one of them wankers in suits."

"Look, John. We really need your help…" Hellboy said, trying to calm the increasingly angered Liverpuldian.

"No, you bloody listen!" exploded Constantine, startling Hellboy and causing the entire pub to go quiet, "If she thinks that sending you would convince me to join the Bureau, then she can just go bugger herself"

Hellboy was left speechless at Constantine's outburst. The entire pub watched the drama in shocked silence as the Liverpuldian occult detective sat back down on his seat, noticeably calmer but still angry.

"Now if there's nothing else you'd like to say," Constantine said coldly, "Piss off."

Hellboy stared in silence as Constantine silently drank his whisky before the red-skinned paranormal investigator stepped out of the booth. As he took a few steps away, Hellboy turned round to address the Liverpuldian occult detective one last time.

"An artefact has gone missing from the Natural History museum." he reported stonily, "Its left two psychics in the hospital. Just so you know."

Having said what he needed to say, Hellboy walked back to the bar; leaving the Liverpuldian occult detective to himself. Ricky seemed visibly concerned as Hellboy neared the bar.

"Everything alright?" the blue-skinned bartender asked with concern.

"Yeah." answered Hellboy with a stony expression, "How do I get out of this place?"

"The same way you came in." answered Ricky, "Merely recite the following words, _'Lorem nigrum leo et renuntiare'_ when you're outside the pub."

"Thanks." said Hellboy as he made his way to the exit.

Constantine watched quietly as Hellboy went through the pub doors. As soon as the red-skinned paranormal investigator left the pub, the mythical patrons resumed their acts of merriment. The Liverpuldian occult detective remained silent as he sat engrossed within his own thoughts. Although he had his personal misgivings towards Chief Thompson, Constantine began to regret putting Hellboy at the receiving end of his outburst. He knew that the red-skinned paranormal investigator was only doing his job and didn't deserve such treatment. And as much as he tried to deny it, a small part of Constantine was curious about the artefact that Hellboy mentioned before he left. An artefact capable of harming psychics was always a useful tool in a magician's arsenal and the Liverpuldian occult detective had been looking for one such artefact for quite some time now…

"Sod it." Constantine uttered in irritation as he grabbed his trench coat and downed his drink before making his way to the pub's exit.

However, Constantine found his path being blocked by a figure wearing a full length black trench coat. Though half of his face was covered by the collar of the coat, the Liverpuldian occult detective could make out the mysterious figure's greasy hair and pale white skin. The figure's most prominent features, however, was his eyes as it did not resemble a human's but that of a wild animal.

"John Constantine." the mysterious figure growled menacingly, "I finally found you."

"Oh, bugger me." uttered Constantine as the figure's pale hand found itself tightly gripping his throat.


	10. Chapter 9: A Boy and his Cat

Chapter 9: A Boy and his Cat

Agent Clay and Agent Myers stood dumbfounded and exhausted as they gazed at the rusty car that swallowed Hellboy a few minutes ago. They still had no success prying open the car's hood as evidenced by the broken crowbar laying by their feet.

"That's one stubborn car hood." a sweaty Agent Myers panted in ehaustion, "Even the crowbar didn't help."

Agent Clay stared at the rusty car hood in silence, beads of sweat running down his face. His mind raced to find any solution that could help them open the stubborn car hood but most of them either involved explosives or tools that the agents did not have on hand.

"Damn it, open!" yelled the burly agent as he banged his fist on the rusty car hood in frustration.

As if answering Agent Clay's frustrated request, the rusty car hood suddenly swung open. Both Agent Clay and Agent Myers looked on in disbelief at the swirling vortex within the car engine space.

"Guess it just needed a good knock." quipped Agent Clay in amusement.

"Guess it did." Agent Myers agreed with a small chuckle.

The light-hearted atmosphere was short-lived as Hellboy was suddenly shot out from the swirling vortex, landing a few feet away from the two agents. Having spat out the red-skinned paranormal investigator, the rusty car hood once again swung itself shut.

"RED!" both Agent Clay and Agent Myers exclaimed as they ran towards Hellboy.

"Note to self," muttered Hellboy as he staggered to his feet, "Alcohol and swirling vortexes don't mix."

Hellboy dusted himself as Agent Clay and Agent Myers approached him.

"Red!" Agent Myers exclaimed with relief, "You're alright."

"And why do you smell like you've been drinking?" Agent Clay questioned, catching a whiff of alcohol from Hellboy.

"I can explain." replied the red-skinned paranormal investigator sheepishly before speaking in a serious tone, "The swirling vortex took me to another dimension occupied exclusively by a late 19th Century pub called the Black Lion."

"The Black Lion?" asked Agent Myers in confusion.

"A pub?" asked a similarly confused Agent Clay, "What's a pub doing in an alternate dimension?"

"No idea." replied Hellboy as he lit a cigar, "All I know is that the pub acts as a place for mythical creatures to hang out and have drinks without worrying about being discovered by humans. It's also the place our magic expert has been visiting lately."

"You found Constantine?" exclaimed Agent Myers in surprise, "What did he say? Did he accept our request?"

Hellboy fell silent for a few seconds before taking a puff of his cigar.

"What happened in there?" asked Agent Clay, sensing something was wrong.

"He refused our request for his help." Hellboy answered with a sombre expression, "I tried to convince him but he was very adamant on not working with Chief Thompson. In fact, he had very strong words for her."

"What words?" Agent Myers asked innocently.

"You don't wanna know." replied Hellboy as he took another puff of the cigar, "Just know that he won't help us even if we begged."

Agent Myers and Agent Clay looked at each other with uncertainty as Hellboy turned to walk back to the DHL van

"We'll just have to report his uncooperativeness to Chief Thompson." Hellboy said stoically as he made his way to the van, "And find another magic expert."

Just as Hellboy was nearing the DHL van, the rusty car's hood suddenly swung open. The red-skinned paranormal investigator had only a moment to look surprised before quickly ducking to avoid the human-shaped projectile that shot out from the swirling vortex at breakneck speed.

"Clay! Myers! DUCK!" yelled Hellboy as the fast-moving projectile flew towards the two agents.

The two agents quickly dropped to the ground as the human-shaped projectile barely grazed their heads before crashing at the far end of the carpark. Agent Clay and Agent Myers could only stare at the site of the crashed projectile in shock as Hellboy ran over towards them.

"You guys okay?" the red-skinned paranormal investigator asked with concern as he helped both agents up on their feet.

"I'm okay." answered Agent Clay, dusting his suit.

"That thing looked like a person." Agent Myers exclaimed with an urgent tone, "We better go see if he's hurt."

Hellboy and Agent Clay nodded in agreement as the three B.P.R.D. agents made their way to the far end of the carpark. A muffled groan could be heard as they neared the crash site. When the three B.P.R.D. agents reached the site of impact, they were shocked to find a groaning John Constantine in the middle of a shallow crater.

"Constantine?!" exclaimed Hellboy in surprise.

"We'd better get him medical attention." Agent Clay said urgently, "Myers, help me get him out of the crater."

Before Agent Myers and Agent Clay could get closer to Constantine's body, the three B.P.R.D. agents were startled by a loud noise. All three agents turned around to find a kneeling figure in the middle of the carpark. Hellboy's eyes widened in shock as the kneeling figure stood up.

"Oh, crap." he uttered as the figure revealed itself to be a 7-foot humanoid wolf creature.

The lupine creature gave a bloodcurdling howl before setting his sights on the three B.P.R.D. agents. With a snarl, the wolf creature charged towards the agents at breakneck speed.

"Myers. Clay. Get to safety!" yelled Hellboy urgently as he glanced at the two human agents, "I'll handle this."

Agent Myers and Agent Clay hesitated for a brief moment before running from the crater. Hellboy watched the agents get to safety before confronting the charging lupine creature, who was a few feet away from Hellboy.

"Buddy, I'm gonna have to ask you to stop…" Hellboy warned before he was sent flying by the wolf creature's backhand.

"Piss off!" growled the wolf creature as it approached Constantine's body, "This is between him and me."

By now, Constantine had significantly recovered from his rough landing and was very much aware of the approaching wolf creature. Before he could utter a single word, the wolf creature pounced onto Constantine's body; its fingers gripping the Liverpuldian occult detective's neck tightly.

"You'll pay for what you did to Lily!" the wolf creature growled angrily as its grip on Constantine's neck tightened.

"Ethan…mate." choked Constantine as he found it hard to breath, "It was…just a…fling."

"A fling?!" the wolf creature called Ethan bellowed angrily, "You broke her heart, you miserable bastard!"

Constantine continued to struggle under the wolf creature's strong grip as Ethan extended the claws on his right hand.

"Now," Ethan growled menacingly, "I'm going to rip yours out."

Constantine closed his eyes as Ethan prepared to claw through the Liverpuldian occult detective's chest.

"Hey, ugly!" exclaimed Hellboy

As Ethan was momentarily distracted by Hellboy's exclamation, his face was suddenly met with the red-skinned paranormal investigator's stone fist; sending the wolf creature flying a few feet away from Constantine. The Liverpuldian occult detective gasped as fresh air rapidly entered his lungs. Meanwhile, Hellboy stood atop the shallow crater; rotating his stone wrist.

"That's for backhanding me, you dirty mutt!" Hellboy yelled as Ethan staggered to his feet.

The pain he felt on his face mixed with Hellboy's insult drove Ethan into a feral rage as he charged at the red-skinned paranormal investigator. His violent charge was quickly halted, however, when he came face to face with the barrel of Hellboy's gun.

"I've got six silver bullets in here." Hellboy menacingly warned as he motioned to his gun, "And I'm not afraid to fire them into your thick skull."

Ethan gave a soft snarl as he thought on Hellboy's threat.

"You're bluffing." the lupine creature growled.

"Why don't you just try me?" retorted Hellboy, pulling back the hammer on his gun.

Tensions were high as Hellboy and Ethan stared at each other, each trying to figure out what the other was going to do. After a few seconds, Ethan reluctantly stepped away from the gun.

"You got lucky, Constantine." growled the wolf creature as he menacingly pointed at the Liverpuldian occult detective still lying in the crater, "But I will find you again."

Ethan turned to walk away, his body mass shifting as he transformed back into his human form. Hellboy saw that the lupine creature's human form had pale white skin and greasy hair.

"And when I do," Ethan said in a threatening tone, his animalistic eyes glaring back at Constantine, "I will have your still-beating heart."

Having delivered his threat, Ethan made his way out of the carpark. Hellboy continued to keep his eyes on Ethan as the pale human melted into the darkness. As soon as he was sure Ethan had disappeared, Hellboy gave a sigh of relief before holstering his gun. He turned to look at Constantine who was sat up in the shallow crater, taking deep breathes of air.

"You're quite the popular guy." the red-skinned paranormal detective quipped as he offered his hand to the Liverpuldian occult detective.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Constantine replied reluctantly as he grabbed Hellboy's hand and pulled himself to his feet, "No need to be a smartass."

Constantine dusted himself as he stepped out of the crater before turning to Hellboy.

"You weren't bluffing when you said you had six silver bullets in your gun, were you?" asked the Liverpuldian occult detective with curiosity.

Hellboy gave a knowing smile as Agent Clay and Agent Myers ran towards the two occult detectives.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Agent Myer with concern.

"I'm fine." replied Hellboy as he rubbed his bruised cheek, "Just a bruise. The guy had a wicked backhand."

"That's Ethan for you." Constantine said before noting that Agent Myers was also referring to his wellbeing, "I'm alright myself, mate. Thanks for asking."

"You sure?" Agent Clay questioned, "You did have a pretty rough landing."

"Definitely fine." the Liverpuldian occult detective confirmed as he went through his trench coat pockets, "Thanks to Solomon here."

As he finished his sentence, Constantine produced the amulet that had the 6th pentacle of Mars engraved on it. Hellboy noted that it was the same amulet that Constantine had used on the frog monster when they were at Highgate Cemetery. He also noticed that the amulet was severely cracked.

'Looks like your amulet's seen better days." Hellboy said as he pointed at the amulet.

Surprised and puzzled by Hellboy's comment, Constantine inspected the amulet closely. As he was doing so, the amulet crumbled into pieces; some of which fell to the ground.

"Ah, bollocks." uttered the Liverpuldian occult detective in annoyance as he held what was left of the amulet, "They don't make amulets like they used to anymore. Bloody things aren't cheap either."

The three B.P.R.D agents looked on with amused expressions as Constantine threw away what remained of his amulet before walking away from the agents. As he was a few feet away from them, Constantine abruptly stopped to contemplate on something. The three B.P.R.D. agents looked at Constantine in confusion before the Liverpuldian occult detective gave a reluctant sigh.

"So," Constantine asked as he glanced back at the three agents, "You lads coming or what?"

Agent Clay, Agent Myers and Hellboy were caught by surprise by Constantine's abrupt question.

"Where are we going?" questioned a confused Agent Clay.

"To solve that mystery case of yours." Constantine answered, lighting a cigarette, "I thought you blokes needed my help."

The three B.P.R.D. agents looked to themselves in disbelief when they heard Constantine's sudden willingness to help them.

"Well?!" Constantine asked impatiently, "Shall we get a move on then?"

"Oh, right." answered Agent Clay, still somewhat disbelieved as he motioned to Agent Myers, "Myers, let's go prepare the van."

"Right." Agent Myers replied as he and Agent Clay immediately ran towards the DHL van, leaving Hellboy behind.

Constantine remained where he stood as the two agents ran past him before motioning to Hellboy to come along. The red-skinned paranormal investigator could only smile as he made his way to the Liverpuldian occult detective.

"What changed your mind?" asked a curious Hellboy, as the two occult detectives walked towards the DHL van.

"Think of it as a form of repayment." answered Constantine as he took a puff of his cigarette, "For saving my arse back there. Besides, I don't like to owe people favours."

Hellboy smiled in acknowledgement of Constantine's answer as they neared the DHL van.

"So, why was Ethan so pissed off?" asked Hellboy as he got into the van.

"Long story, mate." Constantine replied as he followed suit, throwing his cigarette away as Agent Clay slid the van's side door shut, "I'll tell you along the way."

* * *

"Constantine, you lousy bastard." Ethan fumed as he walked along the dark alleyways to his personal lodgings.

Ethan's mind was filled with anger and embarrassment as he reviewed what had happened a few minutes ago. His one chance of killing Constantine to avenge his sister was thwarted thanks to the huge red demon that protected the Liverpuldian occult detective. Not only that, he was forced to retreat like a coward because he couldn't risk dying and leaving his beloved sister alone. The large bruise on his pale white face only served to remind him of this humiliating defeat. Wallowing in a mix of anger and humiliation, Ethan failed to notice a young boy approaching him. Only when the boy bumped into his side did Ethan notice the passing child.

"Watch where you're going, you stupid brat!" Ethan barked angrily as he faced the boy.

The boy stopped in his tracks and turned to face Ethan. Ethan noted that the boy was wearing clothes reminiscent of American puritans and had a peculiar hairstyle that made it look like he had horns on his head. In his arms lay a striped cat who was glaring back at Ethan.

"Perhaps it is you who has to watch where you're going." the boy haughtily replied as he stroked his cat.

The boy's arrogant response took Ethan by surprise. Surprise soon gave way to violent rage as Ethan transformed into his lupine form. He had already suffered enough humiliation today and he sure wasn't going to take the child's arrogance.

"You've got some nerve talking like that!" Ethan growled angrily as he bounded towards the young boy, "I'll make sure to rip out that tongue of yours!"

However, before he could reach the boy, Ethan was struck with a sudden emptiness in his chest. He looked down to find a gaping hole where his chest used to be. Ethan could only stare in disbelief at his wound before collapsing to the ground. The young boy stood there with his right hand outstretched and engulfed in red mist as he watched the wolf creature's blood flow through the alley, painting the ground red.

"That's what you get for being rude to me!" the boy angrily spat at Ethan's convulsing body as he lowered his hand.

The boy's anger was temporarily abated when his striped cat mewed and looked him in the eye.

"No one should ever talk back to us like that." the child said with affirmation, as he stroked his cat's head. "Isn't that right, Teekl?"

The striped cat seemed to meow in agreement, causing the boy to smile as he left Ethan to die from his chest wound.

"Now." the child said mischievously, a malicious glint in his eye, "To find what we came for."


	11. Chapter 10: Somnium Damnatorum (Part 1)

Chapter 10: Somnium Damnatorum (Part 1)

"You sure this is a good idea, John?"

Ann-Marie asked as she stood in the pouring rain, facing the Casanova Club. The forty-year old was part of a group of seven people who had arrived at the Newcastle nightclub after hours. As she stood shivering in the rain, Ann-Marie quietly looked at the six people with her. The cap-wearing American standing behind her was Frank North, a Californian biker who was in England for a holiday. The young blonde woman by his side was Judith, a student of tantric yoga. A few feet to the left of Ann-Marie stood Gary Lester, a small-time magician, who was opening a beer can as the group's computer freak, Ritchie Simpson, stood nervously next to him. In front of the two men was Benjamin Cox, a twelve-year old who apparently had an encyclopaedic knowledge on the arcane. And finally, standing in front of the closed entrance of the nightclub, was the leader of the group himself: John Constantine.

"Of course it is, luv." answered Constantine, his back still turned to the group, "Alex Logue here owes us a bit of money from our last gig. We're just collecting what's ours."

Ann-Marie stood silent as she watched Constantine walk up to the metal door of the nightclub before proceeding to bang on it.

"Logue, you lousy sod!" he yelled, "Open up. It's John."

The Casanova Club's door remained closed. Constantine grunted in annoyance before continuing to hammer on the metal door.

'Maybe he's not in." the bespectacled Ritchie said as he nervously looked around, 'Perhaps we should come another day."

"Sod that!" rebuked Gary, as he took a swill of his beer, "The bastard owes us for yesterday's gig. We're not going anyway until I see some cash."

"Besides," interjected an excited Benjamin as he feverishly took pictures of the nightclub, 'I've heard that Alex Logue was a practitioner of black magic and he would hold rituals disguised as private parties in this very nightclub"

"Sounds like my kind of scene." Judith said playfully.

"It won't be anyone's scene if I can't get this bloody door open!" grunted an annoyed Constantine as he kicked the nightclub's door to no avail, "The place's locked up tight. We're going to need some muscle if we're going to get into the nightclub and out of this sodding weather."

"That's my cue." said Frank as he walked towards the entrance of Casanova Club with a sawn-off shotgun in his hand.

Constantine stepped aside as the American biker fired a shot at the door's lock before delivering a strong kick to the door. The metal door swung open violently, making a loud noise as it slammed into the wall of the nightclub.

"Now that that's out of the way," Constantine said as he stood in front of the now open nightclub entrance, "Let's have a little chat with Logue."

"That's breaking and entering, John!" Ritchie exclaimed, "We could get in trouble."

"Don't you worry your pretty little head, Ritchie. " Constantine assured as he stepped into the nightclub, "The coppers will be more concerned with what Logue's got in here than with a blown off entrance door."

The group quickly entered the nightclub while Ritchie remained outside, still standing in the rain.

"Get a move on, Ritchie." Gary said with annoyance to the visibly nervous and soaked computer freak, "Before you drown in this poxy rain."

Ritchie hesitated for a bit before rushing into the nightclub with Gary following behind. The empty nightclub was in a downright mess with cups strewn all over the floor as well as the tables. The floor felt sticky from the alcoholic beverages that had been spilt from the night before. Ann-Marie surveyed the nightclub as Benjamin continued to excitedly take pictures.

"Looks like the cleaners haven't come in yet." remarked Gary as he surveyed the messy nightclub while taking another swill of his beer, "Place is still a bloody mess."

"Must have been quite a crowd last night if they left it in such a state." Judith said as she picked up a used condom before throwing it away in disgust.

"Yeah, we get that a lot." Constantine said with a hint of smugness as he walked towards the centre of the nightclub, "Our band is just that good."

Ann-Marie could only roll her eyes at the Liverpuldian's prideful statement.

"Logue!" Constantine shouted, "I know you're in here, you cheap bastard!"

Constantine's voice echoed through the nightclub only to be met by silence. The Liverpuldian tapped his foot with impatience before turning towards his group of friends.

"Looks like the old sod is still asleep or drunk off his arse." Constantine uttered with annoyance before motioning to Gary, "Gaz and I will go to the first floor to check if he's there."

Gary nodded nonchalantly as he finished his beer.

"Frank and Judith," the Liverpuldian continued, "You check the attic."

"Ooh." Judith cooed before looking at Frank teasingly, 'Some alone time with Frankie boy."

"Ann-Marie." Constantine continued, addressing the forty-year old woman, "Stay here with Ritchie and Benjamin, luv. Keep them out of trouble."

"Okay." Ann-Marie answered in a disappointed tone, "I'll yell if we find something."

"Ritchie would probably be the one who yells first." Judith said, poking fun at the bespectacled computer freak.

"Hey!" Ritchie retorted in annoyance.

"Shhhh!" Benjamin suddenly shushed, "I hear something."

The group fell silent as they listened intently. Slowly, their ears picked up on a low murmuring sound.

"What is that sound?" asked a concerned Judith as she looked around in search of the source of the noise, "And where's it coming from?"

Benjamin turned his head slowly from side to side as he tried to pinpoint the source of the low murmuring.

"It sounds like it's coming from below us." Benjamin remarked before his eyes widened with realisation, "The cellar!"

Struck by his revelation, Benjamin quickly turned towards a door that said 'PERSONNEL ONLY' before making a mad dash towards it.

"Ben! Wait!" yelled Ann-Marie as she sprinted after the excited twelve-year old with the rest of the group following suit.

The six adults chased after Benjamin as he ran down the staircase leading to the nightclub's cellar before coming to an abrupt stop at the cellar's entrance, a shocked expression on his face. As the adults caught up to him, they too fell into a silent shock as they laid their eyes on the state of the cellar. The door to the cellar had been cleanly blasted off its hinges and now lay on the floor, giving the seven friends a good view of the lifeless bodies that were strewn all over the underground room. Blood splattered the walls and floors of the cellar, giving it the appearance of a slaughterhouse.

"Jesus Christ." uttered Frank in shock as he studied the blood-stained cellar, a feeling of sickness rising in his stomach.

The sight and smell of the corpses was too much for young Benjamin as the twelve-year old proceeded to vomit onto the floor whilst the other adults could only look in nauseated silence. Constantine took a step towards the cellar before looking back to his friends.

"Well," he said with a grim expression as he stepped into the bloody room, "Let's see if anyone survived."

The six friends were initially hesitant to go into the cellar. However, seeing Constantine confidently walk into the bloody room convinced them to enter the cellar as well. Ann-Marie held onto Benjamin's hand tightly as they slowly walked through the blood-stained cellar, making sure not to step on any of the dead bodies as they looked for survivors. Frank and Judith walked close together as they uneasily searched for any remaining survivors amongst the corpses, with Ritchie squeamishly following them behind. Both Constantine and Gary didn't appear to be affected by the sight of the slaughtered corpses but, in truth, they were as equally disturbed by the bloody carnage. As they neared the end of the room, Gary noticed that one of the lifeless bodies looked familiar.

"I've found Logue." he announced reluctantly, pointing at the nightclub owner's dead body for everyone to see.

The group looked at the lifeless body of Alex Logue in silence. Benjamin began to sob before Ann-Marie closed his eyes in an attempt to comfort and shield the boy from the sight of Logue's bloodied carcass.

"What could have done this?" asked a disturbed Judith, her hand covering her mouth as she held back her tears, "This doesn't look like the work of a man."

"That's because it isn't, luv." Constantine grimly said, "This looks like a ritual gone wrong."

Suddenly, the group heard a low rumbling sound. Constantine strained his ears as he tried to identify the rumbling noise. As he listened closely, he recognised the sound as some form of rock music.

"Rock music." uttered Constantine as he looked around the cellar, "And it's not coming from here from the sounds of it."

"Must be coming from upstairs." Gary said with urgency in his voice, looking towards Constantine, "It could be a survivor. They might be able to tell us what the hell happened here."

Constantine nodded in agreement as the group quickly made their way back up to the nightclub. The rock music grew significantly louder as they returned to the ground floor but they still couldn't find anything that served as the source for the loud rumbling music.

"Upstairs!" remarked Constantine as he made his way to the first floor of the nightclub; his friends quickly following.

Upon reaching the first floor, the rock music became so loud that the group of friends could physically feel the sound waves penetrating their bodies. As they searched for the source of the rumbling music, the group found themselves in front of a door leading to a VIP room. The door of the room was shaking violently from the loud rock music emanating from inside. Constantine grabbed the doorknob as his friends watched with nervous anticipation. Taking a deep breath, the Liverpuldian quickly opened the door. He immediately regretted his decision as the unfiltered high volume and bass of the rock music resonated throughout the entire nightclub, overwhelming the group of friends as they closed their ears and fell to the ground in pain. Constantine, with both hands on his ears, struggled to look into the room as his body was subjected to the music's loud bass. The room was relatively empty save for a pair of large speakers that were responsible for the loud booming music. In the middle of said speakers was a young girl gyrating to the rock music's beat. At first glance, one would mistakenly assume that the girl was merely dancing; albeit very poorly. However, the way her body twisted and turned made Constantine suspect something was very wrong. As the young girl's body continued to gyrate to the loud rumbling music, Constantine caught a glimpse of her face; his eyes widening in shock.

"Astra."


	12. Chapter 11: Somnium Damnatorum (Part 2)

Chapter 11: Somnium Damnatorum (Part 2)

"ASTRA!"

Constantine yelled at the young girl gyrating in the middle of the VIP room but his voice was drowned out by the loud rumbling rock music that was playing from the two large speakers.

"Sodding music." the Liverpuldian cursed under his breath before turning towards Frank, who had his ears covered.

"FRANK!" Constantine yelled to the Californian biker as he motioned to the speakers, "SHUT IT DOWN!"

Although Frank couldn't hear a single word Constantine said, he immediately understood the Liverpuldian's instructions. The Californian biker struggled to his feet as he made his way towards the two large speakers. Even with his large muscular physique, Frank was still vulnerable to the music's loud bass as he trudged towards his target. As he neared the two speakers, he began looking for any wires that connected the speakers to a power source. The rumbling music's bass continued to assault Frank's body as he struggled to find what he was looking for. Unable to find the wires he sought, the Californian biker resorted to a more physical solution. With one hand covering his right ear, Frank unholstered the sawn-off shotgun from his back and fired the weapon at the two speakers; causing them to explode in a shower of sparks. Immediately, the loud rock music ceased and the room fell silent. Astra continued to gyrate to the absent music as the six friends recovered from the musical assault.

"When I said shut it down," Constantine said as he looked at the destroyed speakers, "I didn't mean blast the bloody things to smithereens."

Frank only gave a cheeky smile as both Gary and Constantine made their way to the still gyrating Astra.

"Astra." Gary said in a soft calming voice as he reached to touch the young girl's shoulder, "You alright, luv?"

As Gary's hand rested on Astra's shoulder, the young girl suddenly began screaming and shaking violently; startling the small-time magician and his friends.

"Astra!" Gary said with concern as he grabbed both of Astra's shoulders in an attempt to calm the screaming girl down, "What's wrong?!"

"NO MORE TOUCHING!" the young girl screamed at the top of her lungs, "I DON'T WANT IT! STOP TOUCHING ME!"

"Astra," Constantine intervened as he also tried to calm the screaming girl, "It's alright, luv. It's John and Gary. From the band last night."

Constantine's words fell on deaf ears as Astra continued to scream and violently struggle, forcing Gary to tightly grip her shoulders. The rest of the group could only stare in shock and concern at the screaming young girl.

"Ann-Marie." Constantine called to the forty-year old woman, "Give us a hand here, luv."

Ann-Marie hurried to Constantine's side as Astra continued to scream her lungs out.

"What do you want me to do?" asked the concerned forty-year old.

"Calm her down with a bit of hypnosis," answered Constantine, "She won't listen to me or Gary so you'll have to do it."

Ann-Marie nodded with determination before facing the screaming Astra.

"Astra, dear." Ann-Marie said slowly and softly to the screaming girl, beginning the hypnosis, "It's okay. You're safe now."

Ann-Marie's voice seemed to calm Astra down as the young girl slowly stopped screaming and began to shake less violently. Gary and Constantine looked at each other with relief as the forty-year old woman continued her hypnosis on Astra.

"That's a good girl." Ann-Marie continued in her slow and soft voice, "Now I need you to close your eyes for me, Astra. Could you do that for me?"

Astra slowly closed her eyes as her body became less stiff. Gary loosened his grip on young girl's shoulders.

"Keep your eyes closed, Astra." Ann-Marie's hypnotic voice continued, "Tell us what happened here, sweetie."

"Daddy was having another one of his parties." a hypnotised Astra began to speak calmly, her eyes still closed, "He always made me join even when I didn't like it. His friends would touch me everywhere. Sometimes they would be too rough and hurt me."

Ann-Marie looked visibly shocked and shaken by Astra's statement. Gary and Constantine could only look at each other with grim faces.

"Then what happened?" the forty-year old woman asked, her calm voice wavering a bit.

"A huge white dog suddenly appeared." Astra continued as her calm expression shifted to that of fear, "But it looked all wrong. The skin was all slimy and some of its inside bits were hanging out."

Constantine and Ann-Marie looked to each other with concern.

"What did the huge dog do, Astra?" asked Ann-Marie, already expecting the answer.

"It killed Daddy first." Astra her expression still fearful, "Then it killed his friends. It didn't stop until I was the only one left."

As she said this, tears began to stream from her closed eyes. Ann-Marie could only look with a sorry expression as the young girl in front of her began to sob.

"That's enough of that." Constantine uttered with a grim tone, startling Ann-Marie, "We got what we need. Let her sleep."

Ann-Marie was surprised by Constantine's display of sympathy before turning her attention back to Astra.

"Thank you, Astra." said the forty-year old with a soft voice before holding the young girl's hand, "You're a very brave girl. Now, go to sleep."

Astra gave a small smile before she went into a hypnotised slumber, her body going limp. Gary carried the young girl and laid her on the floor.

"That bastard Logue." Gary cursed under his breath as he looked at the young girl sleeping peacefully, "He finally drove her insane."

"Just what sort of ritual was Logue doing?" asked a shaken Judith, "To cause his daughter to end up like that?"

Constantine stood up with his eyes closed as he contemplated on whether he should reveal the truth.

"Logue was a fan of tantric orgies." Constantine reluctantly explained, "His rituals were an excuse for him to play out his sexual desires. I had thought of joining those rituals myself until I found out Astra here was involved."

"My God." remarked Ritchie in shock, "Did you try to stop him?"

Constantine stood in silence, a guilty expression on his face.

"You bastard!" Ann-Marie cursed as she slapped Constantine's face, "You knew he was doing these despicable things to her and yet you did nothing?!"

"Ann-Marie, stop!" Gary said as he faced the angered forty-year old, "It's not his fault. I'm also guilty for doing nothing when I found out as well. Even if John and I had done something, Logue would still be forcing her into these rituals."

Ann-Marie could only stare at both Constantine and Gary in disbelief, trying to hold back her tears as the Liverpuldian rubbed his injured face.

"At least Logue's dead." Frank said solemnly, "He won't be hurting Astra anymore."

Everyone looked to Frank, surprised by his answer. Deep down, however, each member of the group silently agreed that Logue deserved his bloody fate. Meanwhile, Astra remained peacefully asleep.

"Logue deserved to die for what he did to Astra." Constantine said as he looked at the sleeping girl, "But now that we know how he bit the dust, we've got a new problem."

The six friends looked at the Liverpuldian in confusion.

"From what Astra told us," explained Constantine, "Logue and his mates were killed by some kind of demon. That demon could still be roaming around the nightclub."

The six friends looked at each other with concern. To think that the demon that was responsible for the bloody carnage in the cellar was still roaming around the nightclub they were currently in.

"And based on her description," Constantine continued, "It doesn't sound like any ordinary demon."

"So," asked Frank as he brandished his shotgun," What do you suggest we do?"

The six friends looked on in anxious silence as Constantine went through his options.

"Two options are available." Constantine suggested, "We could bind the demon to this nightclub or send it back to Hell. Both would require me to identify the demon though."

"Which would mean we have to go look for it." Judith said uneasily.

"That's out of the question!" argued Ann-Marie, "You saw what that demon did to those people in the cellar. Sending us out there to look for that thing is suicide!"

"I have to agree with Ann-Marie here, John." Frank interjected, "Even with my shotgun, that demon would easily tear us apart."

"How about we just make a run for it?" Ritchie suggested nervously, "Maybe if we're quick enough, we could escape without the demon knowing."

"And risk meeting the demon halfway down the steps?!" retorted Gary, "That's no better than looking for it in the first place."

"Well, we can't just stay here." Judith angrily answered, "We'll all just be a bunch of sitting ducks if we remain here."

Benjamin watched as the five adults continued to argue amongst themselves. The twelve-year old's mind was still traumatised by what he saw in the cellar. The fact that the demon responsible for the bloody massacre in the cellar was still freely roaming around only served to further deteriorate the twelve-year old's mental condition. However, it was the sight of the arguing adults that finally pushed him over the edge.

"SHUT UP!"

The adults immediately ceased their arguing as they stared in surprise at the twelve-year old who had just shouted at them.

"How are you guys still arguing?" Benjamin said in a frightened tone, "Don't you know that our lives are at stake here?!"

The five adults continued to stare at Benjamin as he continued to speak.

"I thought I knew everything that had to do with magic and the arcane." uttered the twelve-year old as he recalled the faces of the corpses in the cellar, "But I didn't expect it to be this bloody and horrible. I can still see the cold, shocked faces of those poor people."

"Ben…" Ann-Marie said as she took a step towards the increasingly unnerved twelve-year old.

"And now there's a demon out there trying to kill us." Benjamin continued his frightened babbling, ignoring Ann-Marie, "No. I don't want to die. I don't want to. I want to live. I WANT TO LIVE!"

The hysterical twelve-year old made a mad dash to the exit. In his frightened state, Benjamin found it difficult to open the door.

"Ben!" yelled Anne-Marie before she and the other adults were distracted by Astra suddenly screaming.

"Astra!" Gary said with concern as he went to console the screaming young girl, "What's wrong?!"

The rest of the adults, with the exception of Constantine, ran to help Gary with the screaming Astra. As Constantine looked at the screaming young girl surrounded by his adult friends, his nose picked up a faint smell of rotting flesh. He surveyed the room for the source of the smell but found nothing out of the ordinary. As the rotting smell became stronger, Constantine's eyes suddenly widened with horror.

"Ben! Get away from that door now!"

Constantine's warning came too late as Benjamin finally succeeded in opening the door. The Liverpuldian could only watch helplessly as a huge dog-like creature pounced onto the screaming twelve-year old.


	13. Chapter 12: Somnium Damnatorum (Part 3)

Chapter 12: Somnium Damnatorum (Part 3)

Benjamin screamed as the huge canine clawed through his clothing, leaving scratch marks all over his skin. The mindless beast smelled of rotting flesh as its slimy entrails hung out from its body. The thick huge veiny appendage between its legs was slowly rising and hardening as the huge canine continued to strip the twelve-year old. Benjamin took one look at the dog creature's rising pillar of flesh before he gave a loud scream and tried to crawl away, his fractured mind already knowing the beast's intentions. However, the twelve-year old didn't get very far as the huge canine gripped the boy's neck with its teeth; holding him down to the floor. Benjamin could only look in terror as the beast aligned the tip of its thick appendage against his bottom.

"Get off him, you mangy mutt!" yelled Constantine as he ran towards the huge dog-creature.

Letting go of Benjamin's neck, the beast turned its head to the approaching Constantine before standing on its hind legs. Constantine stopped in his tracks as the dog creature turned to face him. The beast was quite large as it towered over the Liverpuldian, its hardened flesh column a few inches away from his face.

"Well, bugger me." uttered a somewhat impressed Constantine, momentarily distracted by the creature's flesh rocket before he was backhanded to the wall.

Judith screamed as she saw Constantine get smashed against the wall, alerting the huge canine to her presence. The sight of the blonde woman drew the beast into a lustful frenzy as it charged towards Judith, its hardened appendage swinging violently from side to side. Before the dog creature could reach her, Frank pushed Judith out of the charging beast's path before firing his shotgun. The bullets did nothing to stop the canine creature's momentum as it swiped at Frank with his claws, sending the Californian biker into the destroyed speakers. As Frank lay dazed amongst the remains of the destroyed speakers, the beast caught sight of Ann-Marie; a few feet away from it. Letting out a howl, the huge canine approached the forty-year old woman, knocking away both Gary and Ritchie as the two attempted to stop the beast from reaching her. Ann-Marie quickly took the screaming Astra into her arms in a desperate attempt to protect the young girl from the approaching canine creature. The beast stopped a few inches away from Ann-Marie, towering over the forty-year old and giving her a good look at its enormous shaft. Anne-Marie looked at the huge canine with a mixture of fear and disgust as she anticipated it to ravage her and Astra. However, when the huge canine remained where it stood, the forty-year old woman's expression quickly changed to that of confusion. Suddenly, the well-endowed beast howled in pain as Frank fired some shotgun bullets into the creature's back.

"Ann-Marie! Get out of there!" Frank yelled to the forty-year old woman as he quickly reloaded his sawn-off shotgun.

As the huge canine turned to face the Californian biker, Ann-Marie took the chance to get Astra and herself to safety. The beast took a step towards Frank only for its chest to be peppered with shotgun bullets. The Californian biker quickly reloaded his shotgun before firing another round into the huge canine's chest. The beast howled in pain as the entrails outside its body continued to be damaged by the rounds of shotgun fire. When the Californian biker fired a round at its genitals, the beast could no longer take the abuse and made its escape; crashing through the VIP room wall. Frank could only stare at the gaping hole in the wall left by the huge canine before giving a sigh of relief as he was joined by Judith.

"My hero." the blond woman said as she gave Frank a kiss on the cheek.

The Californian biker could only blush before he went to help Gary and Ritchie, who were still dazed from being knocked down by the huge canine and were currently staggering to their feet. Judith went to check on Ann-Marie who was still holding Astra in her arms. The young girl had stopped screaming and was now fast asleep.

"You alright?" Judith asked Ann-Marie with a concerned voice.

"I'm fine." Ann-Marie replied with relief as she looked at the sleeping Astra, "Thank god for Frank. I thought me and Astra would be eviscerated."

Judith smiled as Ann-Marie laid the sleeping girl on the floor before both women went to join Frank, Ritchie and Gary.

"You guys okay?" asked Judith as Gary was rubbing the back of his neck while Ritchie circled his shoulder.

"We're alright, luv." Gary replied to the blonde woman in a grim tone, "But I think you'd better go check on Ben. I'll go see if John's alright."

Judith gave a small nod before heading towards the naked twelve-year old at the far end of the room. Gary walked towards Constantine, who looked a little dazed as he sat up on the room floor.

"You alright, mate?" Gary asked as he offered his hand to the Liverpuldian.

"Head's still a bit fuzzy," replied Constantine as he grabbed Gary's hand and pulled himself up, "But I've had worst."

As Constantine dusted himself, he couldn't help but look at Judith kneeling over Benjamin. The naked twelve-year old had scratch marks all over his body and was lying on the ground in a foetal position. He appeared to be mumbling unintelligibly to himself as Judith desperately tried to console him.

"God damn it, Ben." Constantine slowly uttered under his breath.

"Looks like he's in a right state." Gary said sombrely as he watched Judith help Benjamin to his feet, "Think he'll recover?"

"I don't know, Gaz." Constantine reluctantly replied, "The boy's just had a demon try to skewer him up the arse with its cock. You don't just walk away from that without some form of damage."

Gary and Constantine stood in grim silence as Judith walked with Benjamin towards the group, her arms around the mumbling twelve-year old. Frank and Ritchie had gloomy expressions on their faces while Ann-Marie held back her tears as the three adults gazed at the sorry state of their young friend.

"Oh, Ben." Ann-Marie cried as she placed her hand on Benjamin's face as the twelve-year old continued to mumble unintelligibly.

"Do you want to tell us what we're dealing with, John?" Frank gloomily asked as the Liverpuldian and Gary joined the group.

"That thing was Norfulthing, a terror elemental." Constantine slowly explained, "A mindless creature that manifests itself in the presence of extreme emotions. In this case, extreme fear and terror."

"Where did it come from?" asked Judith as she held Benjamin close, "Did Logue and his lackeys summon it?"

"No." Constantine answered, "Since they're physical manifestations of pure emotion, elementals cannot be simply summoned like ordinary demons. They have to be conjured up by a very powerful magus."

As he finished his explanation, Constantine motioned his hand towards the sleeping Astra. The five adults could only stare in shock from the Liverpuldian's revelation.

"You don't mean…" Ann-Marie started with a shocked tone.

"Unlike her bastard of a father," Constantine continued his explanation, "Astra here had a great talent for magic. She would have been quite the sorceress too if Logue hadn't subjected her to his little sexual escapades. The physical and emotional abuse from Logue's rituals must have caused Astra to accidentally conjure up Norfulthing."

"So, you're saying Astra conjured up the terror elemental?" Gary asked with uncertainty, "How can you be sure?"

"Astra was the only one left alive from the massacre." answered Constantine, "Elementals will never harm their conjurers and risk disappearing from existence."

"That's why it didn't attack me and Astra even when we were in front of it." Ann-Marie interjected, her eyes widening in realisation.

"Exactly." Constantine said with confidence, "As long as the conjuror lives, the elemental will always be able to physically manifest itself."

"Alright, we've established where that disgusting thing came from." Frank interjected, sounding a bit impatient, "How do we stop it?"

Constantine went quiet in response to Frank's question. He appeared reluctant to give the answer.

"John?" Judith asked with concern, "What's wrong? Tell us."

"Yeah, John." Ritchie said in confusion, "Tell us how to stop it."

Constantine gave a reluctant sigh as he began to speak.

"In order to destroy an elemental," the Liverpuldian reluctantly began, "We would need to destroy the source of its manifestation."

The five adults took a moment to comprehend Constantine's reluctant answer. Slowly their eyes widened in horror as they looked at the sleeping Astra.

"No!" remarked Ann-Marie with horror as she grabbed Constantine by his shirt, "You can't be seriously thinking of killing her! Astra deserves to live after what she's been through!"

"Ann-Marie…"Constantine slowly said.

"No!" rebuked the forty-year old woman as she held back her tears, "I will not stand here and see this girl die because of your ignorance to her plight! You think killing her would redeem you from your inability to act before?! Her death will only be another weight on your conscience!"

"You think I don't bloody know that?!" Constantine exploded angrily as he violently removed Ann-Marie's hands from his shirt, "You think I don't regret not saving her from that bastard Logue?! How I wished I had the courage back then to stop him?!"

The five adults were taken aback by Constantine's outburst as the Liverpuldian panted in anger before slowly taking a deep breath to calm himself down.

"I wished that I had saved her then." Constantine slowly said with a regretful tone, "I wish that I can save her now."

Ann-Marie could only stare at Constantine's regretful expression as the other four adults look at each other in awkward silence.

"So, what now?" asked Gary, breaking the silence, "What do we do?"

"We can't just make a run for it." Judith said with a gloomy tone, "That thing will only follow us as long as we have Astra. And we can't just abandon her."

"Shooting it helped a bit," Frank interjected as he brandished his shotgun, "But I'm down to my last four rounds. Not enough to hurt the damn beast."

"We're doomed." Ritchie said dejectedly as he sat on the ground, his hands on the side of his head, "We'd have a better chance fighting a demon than fighting this thing."

Suddenly, Constantine's eyes widened with excitement as Ritchie's words gave him an epiphany. A smile crept on his face.

"Ritchie, you brilliant son of gun!" Constantine said excitedly as he pulled the bespectacled computer freak back to his feet, "That's it!"

Ritchie and the rest of the adults were caught by surprise from Constantine's quick change in mood.

"There's no way we can defeat Norfulthing without either all us winding up dead or killing Astra." Constantine excitedly explained as he rummaged through his pants pocket, "However, thanks to Ritchie, I have a plan that not only would keep us alive but also defeat the terror elemental without the need to kill Astra."

"And how would this plan work?" Gary asked skeptically even though, like the rest of the adults, he had a hint of optimism to Constantine's suggested plan.

"Simple." the Liverpuldian excitedly answered as he pulled out a piece of chalk from his pants pocket, "We fight fire with fire."


	14. Chapter 13: Somnium Damnatorum (Part 4)

Chapter 13: Somnium Damnatorum (Part 4)

"You want to summon a demon to destroy Norfulthing?!" exclaimed Ann-Marie as Constantine drew circles and lines on the room floor using a piece of chalk, "That's crazy even for you!"

"Well, if you have any better ideas, luv," Constantine said with sarcasm as he momentarily stopped drawing a symbol to address the forty-year old woman, "I'm all ears."

Constantine's sarcastic reply was enough to silence Ann-Marie as the Liverpuldian went back to finishing his pentagram.

"You think this would work?" Judith asked with uncertainty, "I don't think you've ever summoned a demon before."

"Summoning a demon is like baking a cake. You just need to use the right ingredients." the Liverpuldian answered with assurance as he drew another symbol, "It's the binding part that's the most difficult. Only when you know the demon's true name will it fall under your command."

Constantine and his friends were momentarily distracted as Frank entered the room with five huge candles.

"I found the candles you asked for, John." Frank as he handed one of the candles to Constantine, "You're lucky I didn't bump into that terror elemental when I was out looking for them."

"Cheers, mate." Constantine thanked the Californian biker before handing the candle back to Frank, "Be a lad and give them to Judith. She'll know what to do with them."

Frank handed the candles to Judith who began to place them at the each corner of the pentagram. As the blonde woman began to light each candle, Constantine stood up to admire his handiwork. For the Liverpuldian's first attempt at drawing a pentagram, it didn't look too shabby. Constantine turned his head to Gary who was walking towards him with a book.

"Logue's copy of the _Grimorium Verum_." Gary said as he handed the book to Constantine, "Who are you going to summon? Astaroth? Beelzebub?"

"I need a demon that will follow my instructions and not kill us." Constantine answered as he flipped through the grimoire before settling on a page, "I think Sagatana here might just be the right one for the job."

"All done." Judith announced as she lit the last candle, "Whenever you're ready, John."

Constantine looked at Gary before giving a determined nod. Gary returned the gesture before joining the rest of the group who were standing around Astra. Benjamin continued to mumble unintelligibly as Judith held him close.

"This is a bad idea." muttered Ritchie as Constantine stood in front of the pentagram.

"Well, here goes." the Liverpuldian muttered to himself as he began to recite the invocation from the book.

The five adults could only watch in fear and anticipation as Constantine bellowed out the Hebrew incantation. As the Liverpuldian continued his recitation, a small fire began to form in the middle of the pentagram. The fire grew larger as Constantine continued to recite the demon-summoning incantation. The five adults shielded themselves from the bright flame's heat. Gary noted that the fire's heat seem to penetrate his entire body before noticing a shadow forming within the giant flame. The shadow slowly took the form of a winged creature with a cone-shaped head. As Constantine finished the incantation, the winged creature burst out from the flames; roaring. The Liverpuldian and his adult friend stared in awe at the tall winged creature as the flames dissipated from the demon's body. The demon gazed at the mortals with its yellow eyes as if memorising the faces of those who had summoned it. Meanwhile, Constantine began to recite a spell to bind the demon to his control.

"I, John Constantine, have summoned you, the demon Sagatana, to our plane." Constantine bellowed, causing the demon to stare directly at the Liverpuldian, "I hereby bind you to this plane until you have fulfilled the terms I have set for you."

The demon looked at Constantine with a confused expression before giving the Liverpuldian a strange smile. Slightly disturbed by the demon's actions, Constantine nevertheless continued the spell.

"You have been summoned here to destroy the terror elemental, Norfulthing." Constantine continued to bellow, "Only when you have completed this task will you be unbound and free to return to your realm. Do you agree to the terms?"

The demon raised its cone-shaped head as it gave a loud, deep chuckle. The Liverpuldian and his adult friends were taken completely by surprise as the demon continued to laugh before staring at Constantine once again.

"I agree." the demon said slowly in low deep voice before turning into a ball of fire.

"Look out!" yelled Frank as the demonic ball of fire suddenly launched itself towards the group. The adults jumped out of the way as the flaming ball whizzed past them and headed for the sleeping Astra.

"NO!" Ann-Marie yelled as the flaming ball entered the young girl's body, causing Astra to go into convulsions.

Astra's body continued to convulse as the adults watched her body levitate a few feet in the air before suddenly going limp. Astra's body then fell to the floor with a loud thud.

"Astra!" screamed Ann-Marie as she and the rest of the adults rushed to Astra's side.

"Dear God." Gary uttered as he watched Ann-Marie cradle the young girl in her arms, before turning to Constantine, "John, what did you do?!"

"I did nothing, mate." Constantine answered in defence, "I only told that the demon to kill that bloody elemental not possess Astra."

"Well, fix it then!" yelled Frank as Ann-Marie continued sobbing with Astra in her arms.

Constantine was about to take a step closer before his nose picked up the scent of rotting flesh.

"Oh, bugger." he uttered, turning around as Norfulthing crashed into the room.

The huge canine gave a bloodcurling howl as it charged towards the adults. Everyone leapt out of the way except for Ann-Marie who continued to hold Astra in her arms. Like before, the terror elemental stopped a few inches away from the forty-year old woman. Norfulthing remained where it stood with a neutral expression on its face as it stared at both Ann-Marie and Astra. Its neutral expression soon changed to malice as the terror elemental raised its claws to strike the forty-year old woman. Suddenly, Astra's eyes flashed open as a stream of fire emanated from the young girl's mouth; torching Norfulthing's huge genitals and burning Ann-Marie's cheek. The huge canine howled in anguish, staggering back with its burning loins while Ann-Marie screamed as she placed her hands over her burnt cheek. Meanwhile, the possessed Astra made her way to the terror elemental who was on all fours now.

"You are the creature John Constantine seeks to destroy." the possessed child said in a low deep voice as she got closer to Norfulthing, "A pity. You would have done so well in Hell."

Norfulthing glared malevolently at the approaching Astra. The fact that the young girl was its conjuror no longer mattered as the mindless terror elemental pounced onto the possessed Astra.

"Foolish creature." uttered the possessed girl as it grabbed Norfulthing by its neck before the huge canine could land on her.

Norfulthing looked visibly distressed as the possessed Astra tightened her grip on the terror elemental's neck. With an evil smile on her face, the possessed young girl ripped off the huge canine's head from its body. The now headless body of Norfulthing collapsed to the ground, blood flowing out from its neck. The possessed Astra took a moment to examine the terror elemental's decapitated head before tossing it aside.

"Child's play." the possessed young girl said mockingly.

Constantine and his adult friends stood in shocked silence as their minds tried to process what they had just witnessed. Ann-Marie lay unconscious on Judith's lap, her cheek severely scarred.

"I have fulfilled my end of the deal, John Constantine." said the possessed Astra, addressing the Liverpuldian, "As payment for my services, I claim this young girl's soul."

The adults couldn't believe their ears when the heard the demon's claim on Astra's soul.

"What?!" exclaimed Gary in horror, taking a step towards the possessed Astra, "That was never part of the terms."

"Foolish mortal." the possessed Astra said in a mocking tone as she made her way back to the pentagram, "You should have known that everything comes with a price."

As the possessed young girl made her way to the centre of the pentagram, Gary looked to Constantine; who was too horrified to speak.

"John!" Gary shouted, snapping the Liverpuldian out of his trance, "Do something!"

Constantine quickly leapt into action, determined not to have the demon take Astra's soul to hell as he followed the possessed Astra.

"Sagatana, vile demon of Hell," Constantine commanded, "I, who summoned and bound you to this plane, command you to release the girl!"

The possessed Astra burst out laughing, surprising the Liverpuldian and his friends.

"Fool!" the possessed girl bellowed, "You have no power over me! You never did!"

Constantine was confused at the demon's statement. Suddenly, his eyes widened in horror as he finally understood what the demon meant.

"You're not Sagatana." the Liverpuldian said with horror, "You're someone else."

"Indeed." the possessed Astra said mockingly as the pentagram burst into flames, "When you recited the incantation, you made a mistake. So, instead of Sagatana, you summoned me."

Constantine stepped back, speechless and horrified that he had mistakenly summoned a demon whose name was still a mystery to him. His mind became increasingly unnerved as he realised that he was never in control of the demon from the beginning and that he had inextricably damned Astra's soul to Hell.

"I've enjoyed my little charade," the possessed young girl said in a mocking tone, "But now it's time for me to return with my prize."

"Take me instead!" the Liverpuldian desperately pleaded, "Release the girl. Let me take her place!"

"In due time." the possessed Astra said, declining Constantine's offer of his soul as the fire spread across the VIP room, "For now, let this be a painful lesson to you, John Constantine. You should never toy with forces you cannot comprehend."

The possessed Astra let out evil laugh as the burning room began to collapse around itself. Constantine attempted to run towards the possessed young girl in a futile move to save her, only to be held back by Frank.

"LET ME GO!" Constantine yelled as the Californian biker pulled him away from the possessed Astra, "I CAN STILL SAVE HER! I NEED TO SAVE HER!"

"It's too late, John." Frank yelled as he pulled the screaming Liverpuldian out of the burning room, "We have to escape! The fire's spreading throughout the nightclub!"

Frank's words fell on deaf ears as Constantine continued to struggle in the Californian biker's strong grip. Meanwhile, the possessed Astra continued laughing as she stood in the burning VIP room before the ceiling collapsed on her.

"ASTRA!"

* * *

"JOHN!"

Constantine rose up from the bed, his body covered in sweat. Sitting next to his bedside was a visibly concerned Hellboy.

"John!" the red-skinned paranormal investigator said anxiously, "You okay?"

Constantine turned to look at Hellboy before looking at his surroundings. He was in a room resembling a university accommodation for students. It was apparently en-suite as the room had its own shower. As the Liverpuldian occult detective looked outside his window, he saw a typical busy London street. Constantine gave a sigh as he ruffled his unkempt hair with his right hand.

"I'm alright, mate." Constantine replied, trying to assure Hellboy, "Just one of them nightmares."

"Looked like more than just a nightmare." the red-skinned paranormal investigator said, his expression still worried, "You were screaming in your sleep."

"I'm fine, mate." Constantine answered coldly and abruptly.

The Liverpuldian's quick change in tone was Hellboy's cue to stop asking.

"Alright, if you say so." the red-skinned paranormal investigator said, still somewhat concerned, "Anyway, you'd better get changed. Mission briefing's in half an hour."

Having delivered his message to the Liverpuldian occult detective, Hellboy turned and exited the room; leaving Constantine alone. Constantine remained in bed, silently contemplating on the nightmarish flashback he had just experienced. After pondering for a few seconds, the Liverpuldian occult detective gave a dejected sigh before making his way to the shower.


	15. Chapter 14: Bitter History

Chapter 14: Bitter History

"Quite the establishment you've got here." remarked Constantine, pulling up his trench coat as he walked alongside Hellboy across the narrow corridors of the Limehouse Public Library, "Wouldn't think this abandoned library was the base for the Bureau."

"Well, we are a secret non-governmental organisation after all." answered Agent Clay who was walking in front of the two occult detectives, "So we can't exactly have an office building displaying the B.P.R.D. name."

"Yeah," interjected Hellboy, narrowly avoiding an incoming B.P.R.D. agent, "Wouldn't want just anyone knowing about our secret club."

Constantine gave a small chuckle as the group arrived at Chief Thompson's office.

"Do you know where Myers is?" Agent Clay asked Hellboy as he knocked on the wooden office door, "Haven't seen him since last night."

"Maybe he went to get better acquainted with Jenny." the red-skinned paranormal investigator teasingly said before a female British voice instructed the group to enter.

Chief Alex Thompson was busy reading a document as the two American agents and Constantine walked into her office. Only when Hellboy closed her office door did she turn her attention away from the document.

"Agent Clay, Agent Hellboy…" Chief Thompson stood up to politely greet the two American Bureau agents.

Her polite expression quickly changed to that of unease when she turned to Constantine.

"John." Chief Thompson greeted the Liverpuldian occult detective with a slight guilty tone.

"Alex." Constantine greeted the red-headed chief nonchalantly, "You're looking well, luv."

"I can't say the same for you though." replied Chief Thompson, her usual stoic voice wavering slightly, "You still look like a downright mess."

"Sounds about right." Constantine said with a wry chuckle before sitting down next to the two American Bureau agents.

Hellboy and Agent Clay could only stare in silence at the strange exchange between the red-headed chief and the Liverpuldian occult detective.

"Anyway," Chief Thompson said as she cleared her throat, "Thank you for accepting the B.P.R.D.'s request for your assistance. You have no idea what this means to us."

"Afraid I'm going to have to stop you there, luv," Constantine said abruptly, startling the redhead, "But I need to make one thing bleeding clear."

The Liverpuldian occult detective leaned forward from his seat, his eyes fixed on Chief Thompson's face. The red-headed chief was slightly uncomfortable as Constantine glared into her eyes.

"I'm not here because of the Bureau." Constantine said with an ominous tone, "I'm here because Hellboy asked for my help."

Hellboy and Agent Clay stared in silence as Constantine slowly sat back down on his seat. The tense atmosphere between the two British people was putting the two American agents in an awkward position.

"Now that's out of the way," said the Liverpuldian occult detective, switching back to a casual tone, "What about this case?"

"Right." Chief Thompson replied nervously before shifting to a more professional tone, "The Natural History Museum of London has requested the Bureau to investigate a stolen artefact from their recent Egyptian exhibition."

"The details of the case are in this folder." the red-headed chief continued in her usual stoic tone, handing a folder to Constantine, "No doubt Agent Hellboy has already informed you of the current state of our psychic agents."

"One catatonic and one suffering from epileptic fits." replied Constantine as he went through the folder's contents.

"Indeed." Chief Thompson said with affirmation, "We suspect that our culprit has psychic abilities since he was able to psychically harm our two agents."

"And what about the stolen artefact?" asked Constantine, looking at the pictures of Agent Green and Agent Kapur, "Any idea what it was?"

"There was no record of the missing artefact in the museum's database," Agent Clay explained, "And the members of staff and the visitors of the museum were not able to remember the identity of the missing artefact."

"Agent Hellboy suspected magic was involved." said Chief Thompson, looking at Hellboy, "Based on what he told us about psychics, we believe that our culprit may have used the missing artefact to cause a widespread memory loss on the museum's staff and visitors as well as psychically assault our two agents."

"Assuming that the missing artefact had the ability to magically enhance psychic powers." Hellboy explained, "It's a bit of a stretch but it's the only lead we've got so far, considering the circumstances."

Constantine closed the folder, processing the information given to him.

"So," the Liverpuldian occult detective asked, "Where do I come in during all of this?"

"You will be tasked with identifying the stolen artefact." Chief Thompson instructed, "Once you've identified the artefact, the B.P.R.D. will have a better idea on how to deal with the culprit."

"Identifying a mystery magical artefact?" Constantine asked rhetorically, "Sounds simple enough."

"Glad to hear that." Chief Thompson said with relief, "We'll have you teamed up with Agent Simpson and Agent Andersen. They'll help you with…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" interrupted Constantine in surprise, "Hold it right there, luv. What do you mean 'teamed up with Agent Simpson and Agent Andersen'? I thought Hellboy here was helping me with this case."

"Yeah." exclaimed a surprised Hellboy, "I thought we were handling it. What gives?"

The red-headed chief was hesitant to answer.

"The Natural History Museum had requested that Agent Hellboy not be involved in this case." Chief Thompson explained reluctantly before looking towards the red-skinned paranormal investigator, "They claimed that their previous experience with him resulted in the damage of exhibits as well as some structural damage to the museum. They do not wish to have Agent Hellboy in the museum."

Hellboy could only stare in shocked surprise at Chief Thompson's revelation. Constantine watched as the redheaded chief's usual stoic expression was replaced with guilt.

"You knew this from the beginning, didn't you?" said Constantine with suspicion, looking at Chief Thompson's guilty face, "You knew the museum didn't want him involved in the investigation. You just needed him to get to me."

"I'm sorry, John." the red-headed chief replied with a sad expression, "The Natural History Museum was quite adamant on Agent Hellboy's non-involvement. But after hearing what happened at Highgate Cemetery, I knew he was the only one that could convince you to help us."

Constantine let out a wry chuckle at Chief Thompson's explanation.

"I should have known you would do this." Constantine exclaimed sarcastically as he turned to face the redhead, "Even a demon isn't safe from your manipulation. Well, congratulations, you old hag! You've managed to play the Bureau's best agent for a fool. Give yourself a pat on the back."

"John." Chief Thompson began, "Please just listen to me for a bit…"

"Listen to you?!" exclaimed Constantine in anger, "Perhaps I wasn't being clear before. The only reason why I'm here talking to you right now is because of Hellboy. Not because of you or your stupid bloody Bureau!"

The Liverpuldian occult detective's outburst silenced the red-headed chief.

"You've had your fun toying with us." Constantine said angrily, "But unlike before, I have a choice now. And I'm choosing to leave."

With an angry expression on his face, Constantine made his way to the office's exit.

"Constantine!" uttered Agent Clay as he chased after the Liverpuldian occult detective only to have the office door slammed in his face.

Hellboy turned towards Chief Thompson whose head hung low, a saddened and guilty expression on her face.

* * *

"Bloody typical Alex." Constantine grumbled angrily as he sat on his bed, smoking a cigarette, "Always manipulating people for her own means."

The Liverpuldian occult detective took a puff of his cigarette before he heard a knocking on his room door.

'Piss off!" he yelled as he tossed the cigarette out the window.

His rude answer fell on deaf ears as the door opened and Hellboy walked into the room, carrying two cans of beer.

"Thought you could use a drink." Hellboy said as he handed one of the cans to the brooding Liverpuldian occult detective.

Constantine stared at the beer can being offered to him for a brief moment before reluctantly taking it from Hellboy.

"Cheers, mate." the Liverpuldian occult detective said softly as he opened the beer can and took a swill, "I needed this."

Hellboy gave a small smile as he planted himself next to Constantine before opening his own can of beer.

"So, what's up with you and Chief Thompson?" Hellboy asked as he took a swill of his beer, "It looked like you both had some history together."

"You noticed?" Constantine said with a sarcastic chuckle as he took another swill of beer, "But you're right. I met Alex when she was just a field agent for the Bureau. She was always quite clever that one. Always knew what to do to get the job done. Even if some of her solutions were considered unethical."

Hellboy contemplated in silence as Constantine took another swill from his beer can.

"So, what are you going to do now?" asked Hellboy slowly as he took a swill from his beer can.

"Well, since that daft chief of yours is not letting you on the case," Constantine replied as he finished his beer, "I'll just bugger off."

"Really?" exclaimed Hellboy in confusion, "What about the case?"

"Sod the bloody case." Constantine replied, pulling out a cigarette, "When I said I was only here because of you, I meant every word."

Hellboy smiled, silently thinking on Constantine's words as the Liverpuldian occult detective lit his cigarette.

"Screw it!" the red-skinned paranormal investigator said as he downed his beer before crushing the beer can, "How're we gonna do this?"

"Do what?" Constantine asked in mock surprise, taking a puff of his cigarette.

"Solve the case." replied Hellboy, standing up to face the Liverpuldian occult detective, "I went through all that trouble of fighting a wolf creature just to get your help. I'm not gonna waste my efforts just because the museum and Chief Thompson told me to stay away from the case."

"Atta, boy!" Constantine said with elation, patting the red-skinned paranormal investigator on the shoulder, "Screw that conniving redhead and the bloody museum! We're going to solve this case whether they like it or not."

Hellboy smiled as Constantine tossed his cigarette out the window and took out a cell phone from his pocket. The Liverpuldian occult detective proceeded to dial a number before placing the phone to his ear, a plan already formulated in his mind

"Chas," Constantine said into the phone, "Going to need you and your cab to be at the Limehouse Public Library in fifteen minutes. And bring my bag. Cheers, mate."

Constantine placed the phone back into his pocket, a confident expression on his face. Hellboy watched in confusion as the Liverpuldian occult detective made his way to the room's exit.

"If we're going to solve this stolen artefact case by ourselves," Constantine instructed Hellboy as he opened the door, motioning to the red-skinned paranormal investigator to follow, " The first thing we need to do is find Agent Simpson and Agent Andersen."

"Why?" asked Hellboy as he walked towards the Liverpuldian occult detective, "Why do we need them?"

"You'll see." Constantine said with a mischievous grin on his face as he stepped out his room and into the corridor.


	16. Chapter 15: Deception

Chapter 15: Deception

Chief Alex Thompson walked hastily as she made her way towards the large swing door that served as the rear entrance to the Limehouse Public Library. As she pushed through the door, she found Constantine facing the street; a cigarette in his mouth. Chief Thompson stood motionless, hesitant to approach the Liverpuldian occult detective. Meanwhile, Constantine continued to smoke his cigarette; partially aware of the redhead standing nervously behind him. Chief Thompson took a deep breath before slowly approaching Constantine.

"I was quite surprised when they told me you decided to stay on and help with the case." said the red-headed chief as she stood by the Liverpuldian occult detective, "Considering your outburst in my office just a few minutes ago."

"Well, you know me." Constantine replied without turning towards Chief Thompson, "I'm always chockful of surprises."

Chief Thompson gave a small smile as Constantine took a final puff of his cigarette before dropping it to the ground. There was a brief moment of silence between the two as they stared at the empty street.

"Listen, John." Chief Thompson said slowly, her voice filled with regret, "I'm sorry for what happened in Basingstoke. I never meant to treat you the way I did. You have to understand that..."

"There's no need to apologise, Alex." Constantine said abruptly, turning to face the redhead, "I understand. You were only doing your job after all."

Chief Thompson smiled with a sense of relief.

"I'm glad you do." she said before she was momentarily distracted by the large blonde man in a black suit exiting through the library's rear entrance.

"Ah, Agent Andersen." Chief Thompson said her soft tone quickly switching to her usual stoic tone, "You're here. Where is Agent Simpson?"

"He's gone round to get the car, luv." Constantine answered quickly, "Should be here in a few minutes. Speak of the devil..."

Constantine turned as a black car parked itself in front of the library's rear entrance. A black man in an equally dark suit stepped out of the driver's seat.

"It looks like you're all set." Chief Thompson said as she looked at Constantine and the two British B.P.R.D. agents, "Best of luck, gentlemen."

The two Bureau agents gave a small nod before they got into the black car with the Liverpuldian occult detective following suit.

"And John," Chief Thompson said softly, stopping Constantine as he was entering the car midway, "Thank you."

Constantine smiled, accepting the redhead's gratitude before stepping into the car. Chief Thompson watched as the black car drove off, disappearing from her sight as it turned around the corner to the main road. The red-headed chief breathed a sigh of relief as she made her way back to the library's rear entrance. As she entered the library, she caught sight of young male B.P.R.D. agent running towards her.

"Chief Thompson!" the young agent said with an urgent tone, "We have a problem."

"What is it, Agent Clarkson?" Chief Thompson asked in a serious tone, "What's got you so flustered?"

"We just found Agent Simpson and Agent Andersen lying unconscious in their rooms." reported the young agent, "We're trying to wake them up now."

"That's impossible!" Chief Thompson remarked in surprise, "I just saw them off a few moments ago."

"Agent Clay has also reported that Agent Hellboy has gone missing." Agent Clarkson continued to report, "We've got our agents searching the building for him now."

Chief Thompson had an expression of surprise and confusion on her face. Suddenly, her eyes widened with realisation as she turned towards the library's rear entrance.

"Damn you, John Constantine!" she whispered as she clenched her fist in anger.

* * *

"Well, that was bloody intense." Constantine said with relief, "Didn't expect the old bag to show up to give us a send-off."

"You and me both." answered Agent Andersen in Hellboy's voice, "I thought she'd see through our disguise."

"That's glamour for you, mate." Constantine said with a smug grin on his face, "Why'd you think fairy folk use them to hide from humans? Downside is, if someone recognises your voice, the glamour loses its effect."

Agent Andersen/Hellboy thought on Constantine's words as the Liverpuldian occult detective turned to Agent Simpson who was at the wheel.

"Did you manage to do what I told you to do, Chas?" asked Constantine.

"I did as you asked, John." answered the black man in Chas's voice, "I've cut the library's main telephone line as well as some important wires. It should take them some time before they can re-establish communication."

'Good." Constantine said with relief before facing Agent Andersen/Hellboy, "That should distract them long enough for us to identify that stolen artefact of yours."

Agent Andersen/Hellboy smiled as Agent Simpson/Chas drove the black car in the direction of the Natural History Museum of London. After about half an hour, they reached their destination. Constantine and Agent Andersen/Hellboy stepped out from the black car and into Cromwell Road. The road was packed with tourists who were visiting the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum as well as students from Imperial College London who were walking in and out of buildings for their lectures. Constantine made his way to the driver's window as Agent Simpson/Chas stuck his head out.

"You still going to need me here, John?" asked Agent Simpson/Chas.

"Nah, mate." Constantine answered as he lifted his bag for the dark-skinned agent to see, "Got all I need in here. I'll call you when I'm done."

Agent Simpson/Chas smiled as Constantine walked away from the driver's window before abruptly turning back.

"Also," he said to the dark-skinned agent who was preparing to drive away, "You might want to wait until the glamour wears off. Renee wouldn't be happy to find her husband is now a black man."

Agent Simpson/Chas gave a small laugh before driving away. Constantine watched as the black car disappeared from his sight before he made his way towards Agent Andersen/Hellboy. The two occult detectives then walked towards the side entrance of the Natural History Museum, allowing a group of schoolchildren to exit the museum before going in themselves. Navigating through the crowd, Constantine and Agent Andersen/Hellboy made their way to the Human Evolution hall. The banner for the Egyptian exhibition still hung from the hall's entrance but the entrance itself was encircled with rope barriers. In front of one of the barriers stood a lone security guard.

"Sorry, sir," said the security guard as Constantine and Agent Andersen/Hellboy approached the hall entrance, "The exhibition is closed until further notice."

"We're here from the B.P.R.D." said Constantine as he flashed a playing card at the police officer, "I'm Agent Constantine and this is my partner Agent Andersen. We're here to investigate the missing artefact."

Agent Andersen/Hellboy looked in confusion as the police officer studied the playing card intensely.

"Ah, yes." the security guard said as he unhooked one of the rope barriers to the hall's entrance, "I was informed you would be coming."

"Cheers, mate." Constantine said to the security guard, putting the playing card back into his pocket as he stepped into the Human Evolution hall, followed by a somewhat confused Agent Andersen/Hellboy.

"This way." the security guard said, closing the rope barrier before leading Constantine and Agent Andersen/Hellboy to the empty pedestal that once displayed the missing exhibit.

"I was told not interfere with your work," the security guard said as Constantine and Agent Andersen/Hellboy stopped at the empty pedestal, "But if you require my assistance, I will be guarding the hall entrance."

"Cheers, mate." Constantine said, shaking the security guard's hand, "Could you also close the doors on your way out? We're going to need some privacy."

"Okay," muttered the security guard with a slightly confused tone before making his way to the hall's entrance, "Didn't realise insurance work needed so much privacy."

Constantine and Agent Andersen/Hellboy watched as security guard closed the hall's doors behind him. Constantine surveyed the hall and the surrounding exhibits before placing his bag on the floor.

"Alright!" Constantine remarked, rubbing his hands with determination as he made his way to the empty pedestal, "Let's see what we're dealing with here."

"What was that card you used?" asked a curious Agent Andersen/Hellboy, watching the Liverpuldian occult detective approach the empty pedestal, "Why was the security guard so interested in it?"

"It's a charmed card," Constantine explained as he stood in front of the empty pedestal, " It's got a bit of a bloody history but all you need to know is that the card takes on the appearance of what the holder requires."

"That's convenient." quipped Agent Andersen/Hellboy, "Where can I get one of those?"

Constantine gave a chuckle as he studied the empty pedestal. Agent Andersen/Hellboy watched as the Liverpuldian occult detective circled around the pedestal before, once again, standing right in front of it.

"Anything?" asked Agent Andersen/Hellboy as he walked towards Constantine.

"Nothing yet, mate." said the Liverpuldian occult detective as his hand slowly reached towards the empty space where the artefact once stood, "Although I am feeling some strong magical energy. Might just be enough to…"

Suddenly, Constantine staggered back; his face contorting with agony and pain as he grabbed the sides of his temple.

"JOHN!" Agent Andersen/Hellboy shouted as the Liverpuldian occult detective continued staggering around, yelling in anguish.


	17. Chapter 16: The Ugly Head of Fate

Chapter 16: The Ugly Head of Fate

"ARRGH!"

Constantine screamed as he gripped the sides of his temple, feeling a burning sensation in his head as well as a heavy pounding. Agent Andersen/Hellboy could only watch as the Liverpuldian occult detective stumbled around in mental anguish. In his throes of pain, Constantine began to mutter to himself. Suddenly, he thrust his right hand to the sky, firing out a large blue flame. Agent Andersen/Hellboy noted that the large blue flame didn't generate any heat of any sort before it quickly dissipated from Constantine's outstretched hand. Letting out a sigh of relief, Constantine collapsed to the ground; panting and looking visibly tired. Agent Andersen/Hellboy quickly rushed to Constantine's side.

"Are you alright?!" asked a concerned Agent Andersen/Hellboy as Constantine sat up, "What just happened?"

"Mind control spell." Constantine replied as he rubbed his sore head, "A powerful one too. Had to quickly conjure up a strong mental barrier before I became a blubbering mess."

Agent Andersen/Hellboy looked at the empty pedestal of the missing artefact as Constantine got back on his feet.

"The culprit must still be in the museum." Hellboy said as he made his way to the hall entrance, "I'd better go find him."

"Hold your horses, mate." Constantine suddenly said, stopping Hellboy in his tracks, "You're not going out there looking like that."

Hellboy turned towards Constantine with a look of confusion as the Liverpuldian occult detective pointed towards his right arm. Hellboy lifted his right arm only to find that his stone hand had returned.

"Damn!" the red-skinned paranormal investigator said with annoyance, "The glamour's worn off."

"Sorry, mate." replied Constantine, "That mind control spell shook my concentration so I couldn't keep the spell going."

"Well, cast another one on me." said Hellboy as he made his way back to the Liverpuldian occult detective, "We need to go look for him."

"There's no need for that." said Constantine, "The culprit's still in the hall."

Hellboy had a look of confusion on his face when he heard the Liverpuldian occult detective's statement.

"What do you mean?" asked a confused Hellboy towards Constantine, "The culprit's here? Now?"

"That's right." answered Constantine, a smug look on his face, "In fact, he never left the hall in the first place."

Hellboy was still confused as the Liverpuldian occult detective slowly motioned towards the empty pedestal of the missing artefact. Hellboy's eyes slowly widened as he began to understand Constantine's words.

"You mean…" the red-skinned paranormal investigator uttered as he pointed at the empty pedestal.

"The artefact was never stolen nor was it ever missing." Constantine confidently explained, his hand motioning at the empty pedestal, "It was always right here on the pedestal. Only now, it's invisible."

"That can't be." Hellboy exclaimed in disbelief. "The police must have felt it when they dusted the pedestal for prints."

"Mind control spell, remember?" Constantine explained, tapping the side of his temple, "Even with my protective charms, the spell was still able to affect me. Imagine what it could do to any Tom, Dick and Harry."

"But what kind of artefact is it?" asked a flabbergasted Hellboy, "If it was able to cast a mind control spell and an invisibility spell at the same time?"

"That's what we're here to find out." Constantine replied as he made way to the empty pedestal.

Hellboy watched as the Liverpuldian occult detective stood with both arms outstretched towards the empty pedestal.

" _Five elements of the earth, I conjure thee_." Constantine recited under his breath, " _From the six directions, conjure here. Lift all concealments, reveal thy truth_."

The empty pedestal remained empty as the Liverpuldian occult detective finished reciting his spell.

" _Lift all concealments, reveal thy truth._ " Constantine repeated with determination but the pedestal remained empty.

"What's going on?" Hellboy asked, "Is your spell not working?"

"No." Constantine said as he began to roll up his right sleeve, "The artefact is just being a stubborn prick right now and doesn't want to reveal itself. I'll just have to use a stronger form of persuasion."

As Constantine rolled up his sleeves, Hellboy caught a glimpse of the symbol tattooed on the back of the Liverpuldian occult detective's forearm.

"That's the alchemical sign for sulphur." Hellboy said as he studied the symbols on Constantine's forearm.

"It's also the symbol of the Red King." answered Constantine as he rolled up his left sleeve, "Supposedly allows one to see the unknown. Learnt this spell from my American counterpart."

Hellboy could only stare in confusion at Constantine's words as the Liverpuldian occult detective revealed another Red King symbol on the back of his left forearm.

" _Into the light, I command thee!_ " Constantine uttered as he brought his forearms together, combining the two Red King symbols to form one complete Red King symbol.

Hellboy watched in amazement as the entire hall began to darken and distort, the space above the empty pedestal being the epicentre of the distortion. The distorting effect on the hall and the pedestal seemed to take a toll on Constantine as he was finding it difficult to keep his forearms together. Hellboy continued to watch as a shadowy orb began to form on the top of the distorted pedestal before expanding and taking shape.

"Hellboy!" Constantine yelled, sweat dripping from his forehead as he struggled to keep his forearms together, "The invisible barrier is too strong. I can't break through it."

"What do you need?" yelled Hellboy as he rushed to Constantine's side, "How can I help?"

"I've managed to weaken the barrier." the Liverpuldian occult detective explained, "You should be able to break it with your stone fist."

Hellboy took one look at his stone fist before giving Constantine a determined nod. The red-skinned paranormal investigator then ran towards the shadowy object on top of the pedestal before proceeding to throw a punch from his stone right hand. As his stone fist landed on the shadowy object, small cracks began to appear on its surface. Hellboy continued punching the shadowy object, his stone fist creating more cracks on the object's surface every time it landed.

"Hurry!" yelled Constantine in an exhausted tone as his forearms slowly started to move apart, "Can't…keep…this…up…much…longer."

With a loud roar, Hellboy threw his stone fist onto the shadowy object; finally breaking the object's surface. The shadowy object exploded; the shockwave knocking Hellboy into the wall of the Human Evolution hall. As he fell to the floor, the red-skinned paranormal investigator caught a glimpse of a bright shining light on top of the pedestal before losing consciousness.

* * *

The young boy stopped in his tracks. A smile crept onto his face as he looked towards the striped cat resting in his arms.

"Did you feel that, Teekl?" he asked the cat as he turned around, "That powerful burst of magic could only mean one thing."

The striped cat meowed in response as it jumped from its young master's arms to the ground. As soon as it landed on the ground, the cat began to grow until it was the size of a large tiger.

"We must hurry, Teekl." the young boy said as he mounted the large cat, "We mustn't lose it again!"

Teekl gave a loud roar before bounding in the direction of the Natural History Museum.

* * *

"Hellboy…Hellboy…HELLBOY!"

Hellboy opened his eyes groggily to find Constantine knelt by his side, staring down at him.

"Glad you're alright, mate." the Liverpuldian occult detective said with relief, "Thought you were knocked out for good."

"I've been through worst." muttered Hellboy as he groggily sat up from the floor, "What hit me?"

"Magical feedback from when you broke the invisible barrier." Constantine replied as he stood back up, "Usually the effect isn't as bad as what you just experienced. But then again, we are dealing with very strong magic."

"You could have warned me." Hellboy said as he got back on his feet, "Now, I've got to explain to the museum staff why there's a huge crater on the wall."

Constantine gave an amused chuckle as Hellboy dusted himself, bits of debris falling to the ground.

"So," Hellboy asked as he finished dusting himself, "Did we manage to reveal our artefact?"

"Why don't we see for ourselves?" answered Constantine as he motioned to the pedestal that now held a bright shining object.

Both Constantine and Hellboy walked towards the pedestal, shielding their eyes from the glaring bright light emanating from the object it held. The bright light became less glaring as the two occult detectives neared the pedestal, allowing them to make out the artefact. The artefact was a golden medieval-looking helmet with a small crest. The helmet had two small slits for eyes and was free of any engravings. The bright light that radiated from the helmet was due to the museum lights reflecting from its shiny surface.

"Oh, bollocks." Constantine said in a worried tone, "It's the helmet of Fate."


	18. Chapter 17: Confrontation

Chapter 17: Confrontation

The golden helmet of Fate stood on the once empty pedestal, shining brightly as the Human Evolution hall's lights reflected from its surface. The way the lights reflected from the helmet's shiny surface further brightened the hall and gave it an almost holy and regal appearance. This was only marred by the fact that the walls of the hall currently echoed with the string of profanities that were emanating from Constantine's mouth.

"Of all the bloody, pissing luck!" the Liverpuldian occult detective exclaimed with an anxious tone, "Why'd it had to be the sodding helmet of Fate?!"

"I'm guessing that the helmet isn't what you expected." Hellboy said, startled by the obscene language emanating from Constantine's mouth, "Judging from your response."

"Of course it wasn't!" answered an anxious Constantine, "I was expecting something else, like the Tarnhelm or the Cap of Hades. Not the bloody helmet of Fate!"

"Okay, John." the red-skinned paranormal investigator said, feeling slightly unnerved by the anxious Liverpuldian occult detective, "Just calm down."

Realising he was losing his cool, Constantine took a deep breath as he slowly calmed down.

"There you go." Hellboy said with relief at the significantly relaxed Constantine, "Now tell me, what's the deal with this helmet?"

"The helmet of Fate is most powerful magical artefact in the known universe," the Liverpuldian occult detective explained, "The helmet grants the wearer access to many powerful spells as well as a vast store of arcane magic. If worn by a sorcerer, it could amplify their magical powers a thousand times more."

"Sounds like something any magic user would like to get their hands on." Hellboy surmised.

"You're bloody right they would." Constantine said as he made his way to his bag, "And we just broadcasted its location to every magic user on the globe."

"The magic feedback." Hellboy uttered with realisation as Constantine rummaged through his bag, "Crap."

"You're quite the quick study, mate." Constantine said as he rummaged through his bag before producing a piece of chalk, "That magic feedback is still travelling across the globe as we speak. Soon, we'll have all manner of magic users flooding this hall just to get their hands on the helmet."

"Then we should hide it." Hellboy exclaimed as he approached the golden helmet, his fingers reaching out towards it, "We can take it back to the B.P.R.D. headquarters. There's a vault there that will…"

"DON'T TOUCH IT!" Constantine yelled just as the red-skinned paranormal investigator was about to touch the golden helmet, "The helmet may still have some form of protective magic."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Hellboy asked in a tense tone as he withdrew his hand away from the helmet, "We've got to do something before those magic users arrive."

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, mate. I'm working on it." answered a frustrated Constantine before taking a few steps towards the entrance of the hall, the chalk in his hand, "The best thing we can do right now is to seal the hall. That should stop anyone from coming in until I figure out a way to hide the helmet."

Before the Liverpuldian occult detective could reach the entrance, the hall doors suddenly shot forward; slamming into the opposite wall. Constantine stopped in his tracks as a figure emerged from the destroyed hall entrance. The figure staggered to the middle of the hall, revealing itself as the security guard from earlier except now he had a gaping hole in his chest. Constantine and Hellboy watched in horror as the security guard collapsed to the floor; dead. As they watched the blood ooze out from the security guard's gaping hole, the two occult detective heard laughter. Turning their attention to the source of the laughter, they found a small boy standing in the destroyed hall entrance; stroking a striped cat.

"Klarion." Constantine uttered taking a step back towards the pedestal holding the helmet of Fate, "Of all the sodding magic users I didn't want to see."

"Why isn't it my old friend, John Constantine." the young boy said with a fiendish laugh as he stepped into the hall, "What a pleasant surprise to meet you here. Were you also drawn to the helmet?"

"Nah, I just thought I'd visit the museum." Constantine answered sarcastically, "I heard they had a very nice assortment of bones and stuffed cats."

The Liverpuldian occult detective suddenly felt himself being pushed by an invisible force as his body slammed against the museum wall behind him. Klarion stood with his right arm outstretched as Constantine crumpled to the floor.

"Always with the sarcastic reply." the young boy said as he lowered his arm, "I never did like that side of you."

"John!" Hellboy exclaimed as he rushed to the Liverpuldian occult detective's aid as Klarion made his way to the helmet of Fate.

"Don't mind me, mate." assured Constantine as the red-skinned paranormal investigator helped him to his feet, "Just stop Klarion from taking the helmet."

Hellboy nodded with affirmation before turning his attention to Klarion, who was now standing in front of the helmet of Fate.

"Now, after so long," the young boy said with glee as he reached towards the golden helmet, "It's finally mine!"

Klarion suddenly paused as a bullet whizzed by his face. His gleeful expression quickly turned to anger as he turned to face Hellboy who had his gun drawn.

"Don't even think about it, kid," Hellboy threatened, his gun aimed at the young boy, "This gun uses very big bullets. Big enough to blast a hole in your face."

"Such impudence!" Klarion yelled in anger as he raised his hand, "How dare you threaten me?!"

"Don't even try!" Hellboy yelled, his gun still pointed at the young boy, "Unless you want a gaping hole where your hand used to be."

Klarion glared angrily at the gun-wielding red-skinned paranormal investigator. This was the first time he had a demon point a gun at him and he wasn't happy about it. Suddenly, a malicious smile crept onto the small boy's face. He knew the appropriate punishment for this insolent demon.

"Very well." he said calmly, putting both hands up as his striped cat landed onto the floor, "I won't try anything."

Hellboy kept his gun pointed at the unarmed young boy, unsure of what to do. After a few tense moments, the red-skinned paranormal investigator slowly lowered his gun. Seeing this, Klarion took the opportunity to address his cat.

"Teekl, attack!" Klarion commanded his striped cat.

The striped cat gave a meow before charging towards Hellboy. The red-skinned paranormal investigator seemed visibly confused and slightly amused at the prospect of being attacked by the small striped cat that was charging towards him. He soon realised his mistake when the charging small cat suddenly grew in size.

"Oh, crap." Hellboy uttered as the giant cat pounced on him, causing him to drop his gun.

Constantine moved out of the way as Hellboy and the giant Teekl crashed through the museum wall and into the Earth Hall. Screams could be heard as museum visitors watched the red-skinned paranormal investigator do battle with the giant cat.

"Hellboy!" Constantine yelled through the gaping hole in the museum's wall before turning back to Klarion, who was having a laugh.

"Foolish demon." the young boy said as he laughed, "That's what you get for your insolence against a witchboy."

As Klarion continued to laugh sadistically, Constantine made an attempt to grab the helmet of Fate. His efforts were in vain as a part of the destroyed museum wall wrapped itself around him.

"Can't have you doing anything now, can I?" Klarion said with a malicious glint in his eye as he watched the Liverpuldian occult detective struggled against his bindings, "Not when I'm so close to obtaining my prize."

Constantine could only watch helplessly as Klarion reached towards the golden helmet. Just as his fingers made contact with the helmet, Klarion felt a burning sensation in his hand; causing him to quickly withdraw it.

"I see you still have some fight in you, Nabu," the young boy said as he rubbed his injured hand, "But your protective spells only work if someone comes in contact with your helmet."

Red mist began to emanate from Klarion's hands as he directed a beam of red energy towards the golden helmet. The red energy beam encapsulated the helmet, forming a red glowing sphere around it.

"Now, with those spells out of the way," Klarion said with glee as he grabbed the encapsulated helmet from the pedestal, "I finally have my prize."

* * *

"Damn cat!" Hellboy cursed as he was pinned to the floor by Teekl.

Teekl gave a loud roar as she attacked Hellboy, her sharp claws leaving deep gashes on the red-skinned paranormal investigator's chest. Hellboy grunted in pain as he struggled against Teekl's assault, managing to get his legs underneath the giant cat.

"Get off me!" the red-skinned paranormal investigator yelled as he used his legs to push the giant cat away.

The kick sent Teekl on her back, giving Hellboy enough time to stagger to his feet. The red-skinned paranormal investigator readied himself as the giant striped cat got back on her feet and proceeded to charge towards him.

"You're really starting to piss me off!" Hellboy yelled as he swung his stone fist onto Teekl's face, sending the giant cat into the side of the escalator.

Teekl groggily stood up, shaking her head as Hellboy waited for the giant cat's next attack.

"Come on!" challenged the red-skinned paranormal investigator, "Is that the best you've got?!"

Teekl roared with anger as it charged towards Hellboy. Hellboy once again readied himself but was caught off-guard when the giant cat transformed into an anthropomorphic cat woman. The female werecat took advantage of Hellboy's surprised state to land a roundhouse kick on his jaw. Hellboy staggered back from the blow before swinging his stone arm at the werecat. Teekl avoided the wild swing by somersaulting over Hellboy but not before slashing his back in the process. Hellboy cried in pain as he whirled around only for Teekl to launch herself at the red-skinned paranormal investigator. With her natural cat-like agility, the female werecat kicked Hellboy squarely in the chest; sending him crashing into the museum wall. Before Hellboy had a chance to recover, Teekl once again launched herself at the red-skinned paranormal investigator; this time driving her sharp claws into his chest. Hellboy howled in pain as he pulled the female werecat's claws out of his chest before throwing a punch with his stone right hand. The punch barely scratched Teekl's nose as she somersaulted away from Hellboy, stopping only when she was at a safe distance. Hellboy panted as he glared angrily at the female werecat standing a few feet away from him, his chest bleeding from the various claw marks she had inflicted onto him. Both combatants continued to stare intensely at each other when Teekl's ears suddenly perked up. Hellboy watched as the female werecat transformed back into a small cat before making her way to the gaping hole in the wall that led back to the Human Evolution hall. As she stood amongst the pieces of the destroyed wall, Teekl stopped and stared at Hellboy for a few seconds. Hellboy thought he saw a hint of pride and contempt in Teekl's eyes as the striped cat stopped looking at him and went to join her young master. With the striped cat out of his sight, Hellboy gave a sigh of relief and collapsed to the floor in exhaustion. His vision began to blur as he once again slipped into unconsciousness.


	19. Chapter 18: Twice Bitten

Chapter 18: Twice Bitten

"What in God's blazes were you both thinking?!" yelled Chief Thompson as she slammed both her hands onto her office desk, causing the heavy wooden table to shudder.

Sitting at the opposite side of her desk was Hellboy, who had bandages wrapped around his chest, and Constantine, who was smoking a cigarette. Both had stern expressions on their faces as Chief Thompson continued to rebuke them.

"Not only did you deliberately disobey a direct order as well as cripple our communications," the redhead Chief said in an angry tone, "But you also caused significant damage to the Human Evolution hall and the priceless artefacts it housed. Do you how much trouble you've caused for the B.P.R.D.?! I practically had to beg the museum officials not to take legal action against us!"

Hellboy remained in grim silence while Constantine took a puff of his cigarette.

"And you!" Chief Thompson exclaimed as she pointed at Constantine accusingly, "Don't think I don't know that you were the mastermind behind this little shenanigan. I gave you a simple task of identifying the missing artefact but you still managed to screw that up."

"Now, wait just a bloody minute…" Constantine began to retort as he got up and walked towards the desk.

"Not this time, John!" Chief Thompson said loudly, stopping the Liverpuldian occult detective in his tracks, "I trusted you to act responsibly with this case, knowing how important it was. But, as always, you disappointed. Typical!"

"Oh piss off, you old hag!" Constantine replied sharply as he confronted Chief Thompson with only the wooden table standing in between him and the redhead Chief," You weren't complaining so much when I took the fall for you in Basingstoke."

*SLAP!*

Hellboy watched in shocked silence as a red handprint formed on Constantine's face where Chief Thompson had slapped him. Constantine tried not to wince in pain as he glared back at the redhead Chief who was slightly teary-eyed. The Liverpuldian occult detective's cigarette now lay on the wooden floor a few feet away from him.

"I knew I shouldn't have asked for your help." Chief Thompson said bitterly, with a hint of regret, "Get out of my office. I never want to see you ever again."

Constantine could only snort in disdain as he picked up his cigarette and made his way out of the office; slamming the door as he did so. Chief Thompson continued to stare at her office door before letting out a heavy sigh. Hellboy watched in silence as the redhead Chief made her way back to her chair before she pressed a button on the intercom.

"Security." she ordered, her voice once again returning to a strict tone, "Ensure that Mr. Constantine is safely escorted out of the building. Thank you."

"Yes, ma'am." a male voice replied from the intercom.

With this small task completed, Chief Thompson directed her attention towards the red-skinned paranormal investigator sitting opposite her.

"Chief Thompson," Hellboy began as he slowly stood up from his seat, "Let me explain…"

"I'm being rather lenient with you right now, Agent Hellboy." interrupted Chief Thompson in an authoritative tone, "Only because you're the Bureau's top paranormal investigator. If you were under me, I would have dismissed you on the spot; considering the trouble you've caused for this branch."

Hellboy stood silently contemplating Chief Thompson's words just as a voice came from the intercom.

"Agent Dickinson and Agent Harper are here to see you, Chief Thompson." Jenny's voice crackled out from the intercom.

"Thank you, Jenny." Chief Thompson replied via the intercom, "Send them in."

As soon as the redhead Chief released the intercom button, two agents entered the office and stood in front of the office door; facing Chief Thompson and Hellboy.

"Agent Dickinson. Agent Harper." Chief Thompson ordered, "Please escort Agent Hellboy and his fellow agents to Heathrow Airport. A plane has been arranged to fly them back to America. Ensure that they do not miss their flight."

Hellboy stared in shocked silence as the two British Bureau agents took hold of the red-skinned paranormal investigator.

"Chief Thompson!" Hellboy exclaimed in an attempt to explain himself.

"I've heard enough, Agent Hellboy." the redhead Chief said with assertion, "Please do not cause another scene and kindly follow the two gentlemen to the airport. Your business with us is now over."

Realising that Chief Thompson was not going to listen to his explanation, Hellboy gave a dejected sigh as he was escorted out of the office by Agent Dickinson and Agent Harper. As the officer door closed behind them, Chief Thompson steepled her hands as she sat in silent contemplation.

* * *

"You've really put us in hot water with that stunt you pulled, Hellboy." said Agent Clay as he struggled to sit comfortably in the back of the moving DHL van he and his fellow agents were in, "Manning's going to have a field day with this."

Hellboy remained quiet with a grim expression on his face. Not used to the red-skinned paranormal investigator being this silent, Agent Myers and Agent Clay could not help but feel concerned.

"Look, Red." Agent Myers said in a soft, reassuring tone, "It's not your fault for what happened at the museum. You were just trying to solve the case."

"Screw the museum!" Hellboy replied abruptly, startling both Agent Clay and Agent Myers, "John and I actually solved the case and also found the missing artefact."

"Wait. You found the missing artefact?" exclaimed Agent Clay as he shifted closer to Hellboy, "Where was it? Who's the culprit?"

"There was no culprit." explained the red-skinned paranormal investigator, "The artefact was never missing or stolen in the first place. It was under an invisibility spell the whole time. Not to mention it was protected by a mind control spell that prevented people from realising it was just sitting there the whole time."

Agent Clay and Agent Myers looked at each other in genuine surprise.

"What kind of artefact would have that sort of protection?" Agent Myers asked as he tried to deduce the artefact's identity on his own.

"John called it the Helmet of Fate." answered Hellboy as he lit a cigar, "Said it was the most powerful magical artefact in the known universe."

"I see." Agent Clay remarked, waving the cigar smoke away, "It'd be quite dangerous if it fell in the wrong hands."

"You'd think so too, wouldn't you?" Hellboy answered sarcastically as he took a puff of his cigar, "And now this all powerful, all magical artefact is in the hands of a boy magician and his transforming cat."

"I'm sorry." Agent Myers replied with obvious confusion on his face, "What?"

"Yeah, you heard me. A boy magician and his transforming cat." Hellboy responded, fully aware of how ludicrous his previous statement sounded, "That's how the Human Evolution hall sustained all those damages. John and I were trying to stop this little magic-wielding brat from claiming the Helmet of Fate."

"A magic-wielding boy?" asked Agent Clay with intrigue, "Do you know who he was?"

"Nope." Hellboy answered, taking another puff of the cigar, "However, John did seem to know him and he was damned adamant on not letting him have the helmet."

Agent Clay and Agent Myers looked at each other with worry.

"We should probably inform Chief Thompson about this." Agent Myers said in an urgent tone, "From the sounds of it, that boy magician sounds like a dangerous threat. Who knows what he would do with the Helmet of Fate?"

"Save your breath, Myers." Hellboy replied dejectedly, "I tried explaining the situation to her at the office but she made it quite clear that she didn't want anything to do with me anymore."

"Besides, it's too late now." Agent Clay said in a similarly disheartened tone as he felt the DHL van slowly coming to a stop, "We're already here."

The back doors of the DHL van flew open as the vehicle came to a halt. Crushing the half-finished cigar in his stone right hand, Hellboy made his way out of the van. Agent Clay and Agent Myers followed suit. As the three American B.P.R.D agents stepped out of the van, they were surprised to find themselves in front of a large grassy field.

"This isn't Heathrow Airport." Agent Myers uttered in surprise.

"Course not." said a familiar voice, "Can't be sending you blokes home when we've still got work to do."

The three American agents turned to face the voice only to find Agent Dickinson standing next to them. The brown-haired agent had a smug grin on his face that Hellboy found all too familiar.

"John?" the red-skinned paranormal investigator asked hopefully.

"Surprised?" replied Agent Dickinson in Constantine's voice as his body dissolved to reveal the Liverpuldian occult detective, "It'll take a lot more than a slap on the face to make me bugger off."

"What?" asked a clearly confused Agent Myers, "How?"

"A simple switcheroo, mate." answered a smug Constantine, "The same thing we used to sneak Hellboy into the Natural History Museum as Agent Andersen."

"You sly bastard!" Hellboy said jovially, almost laughing, "I can't believe your trick worked twice."

"Hey, why fix something if it ain't broken." replied Constantine before noticing a stout man stepping out from the DHL van's driver seat, "Oi, Chas! Come introduce yourself to the lovely people."

The stout man known as Chas walked towards the three American B.P.R.D. agents. Although this was not the first time that Hellboy had met Chas, they had not been properly introduced to one another and the red-skinned paranormal investigator had only ever seen him glamoured as Agent Simpson. This was Hellboy's first time seeing Chas as he truly was and judging from how the stout man was dressed, he deduced that Chas worked as a taxi driver.

"Frank Chandler." boomed the stout man as he shook each of the American agents' hands (including Hellboy's stone right hand), "But most of me mates call me Chas."

"Chas here is the dark horse to my dark knight." Constantine said proudly as he pat the stout man on the back, "Takes me wherever I need to go and knows every route to get in and out of London."

Chas could only smile from Constantine's praise as the three American agents looked at each other in awkward silence.

"So," Agent Clay started to speak, "Why did you bring us here?"

"Right. Straight to the point." answered Constantine as he clapped his hands together, "No doubt Hellboy has explained to you what happened at the museum."

"That the Helmet of Fate is in the hands of a boy magician and his transforming cat?" Agent Myers said with uncertainty.

"Witch-boy, mate." replied Constantine, "And his name's Klarion. The transforming cat is Teekl, his familiar. They're a nasty duo; always causing mischief and destruction across our plane of existence."

"But now Klarion's got the Helmet of Fate," interjected Chas, "And who knows what he intends to do with it."

"Like my friend here was saying," Constantine said, slightly annoyed at Chas's interruption, "Klarion having the Helmet of Fate is not good for any of us. The little blighter will try to use the helmet for some devilish purpose of his and we can't let him do that."

Constantine turned towards Hellboy.

"You know how dangerous he is." the Liverpuldian occult detective said with a dire tone as he looked at Hellboy, "You saw it for yourself first-hand."

Hellboy could only nod in approval as he remembered how Klarion had managed to knock down Constantine with just a simple hand gesture.

"So, you need our help then?" asked Agent Myers, "Why not ask the Bureau?"

"We would," Chas replied, scratching his head nervously as he looked at Constantine, "But things are a bit heated between John and the Bureau."

"You mean between him and Chief Thompson." Agent Clay uttered to Hellboy.

"Needless to say," Constantine retorted, choosing to ignore Agent Clay's remark as he motioned to Hellboy, "In order for us to stop Klarion, I'm gonna need the help of your red friend here."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a minute." Agent Clay interrupted, "You can't just take Red here without us both. We're his support team. Wherever he goes, we go."

"Besides," Agent Myers exclaimed, "Why must it be Hellboy? Why can't you get your friends to help?"

"Because we're running out of time," Chas explained in an urgent tone, "And Hellboy's the closest thing to a friend that we can trust to help us. John's not exactly the most popular guy around here. In fact, if there was a chance to kill him, a lot of people would take it. By the time we find anyone willing to help us, Klarion would probably have succeeded in his plans for the Helmet of Fate."

There was a moment of awkward silence as the three Bureau agents comprehended Chas's statement.

"Thank you, Chas. But, I don't think they needed to know about my social life." Constantine said sarcastically, breaking the awkward silence as he directed his attention towards the three agents, "So, what do you blokes say? Wanna help us stop Klarion?"

The three Bureau agents stood silent as they considered the Liverpuldian occult detective's request for help. Suddenly, a smile appeared on Hellboy's face.

"Sure, why not?" replied Hellboy as he shrugged his shoulders, "I feel partially responsible for the Helmet of Fate falling into the hands of that witch-boy anyway."

Hellboy turned to face both Agent Clay and Agent Myers who were still dwelling on Constantine's request.

"What do you say, guys?" asked the red-skinned paranormal investigator, "You in?"

Agent Clay and Agent Myers looked at each other. A smile spread onto their faces as they nodded in approval.

"Like I said," replied Agent Clay, turning to Hellboy, "We go wherever you go."

The red-skinned paranormal investigator could only smile in response to Agent Clay's answer.

"Well, that settles it then." Constantine said with elation as he snapped his fingers.

The ground began to rumble as a large mansion suddenly grew out from the grassy field. The three B.P.R.D agents watched in shock and awe as the large mansion continued to grow and tower over them. Soon, the large empty field had a large mansion in the centre of it. The large wooden front doors opened as Constantine took a step onto the mansion's patio.

"Well, gents," Constantine announced as he motioned to the entrance of the mansion, "Wipe your shoes. You're about to enter the House of Mystery."


	20. Chapter 19: The House of Mystery

Chapter 19: The House of Mystery

The wooden floorboards of the House of Mystery gave an eerie squeak as the group stepped into the large mansion and found themselves facing what appeared to be the living room. The room had an old-fashioned look to it; complemented by Victorian-style furniture and a roaring fireplace. Hellboy thought that the mansion had an unnatural atmosphere to it as the roaring flame only provided illumination for the living room while the other parts of the mansion remained in the shadows.

"What is this place?" asked a curious Agent Clay as Constantine led the group towards the Victorian-styled living room, "It looks like it was built a very long time ago."

"The House of Mystery is, as the name implies, a mystery." answered Constantine as he took a seat on one of the armchairs; motioning towards the others to do the same, "No one knows when it was built or why it was built. The only thing I know is that the House has a mind of its own and it can travel between realms as well as time and space. Very convenient for when you need a quick place to get away from some undesirable people."

Hellboy took a seat on another armchair while Agent Myers and Agent Clay shared the lounge seat. The three Bureau agents found the furniture surprisingly comfortable.

"Chas," Constantine said to the stout taxi driver who had chosen to stand by the Liverpuldian's armchair, "Be a dear and get something to wet our whistles. Also, see if you can scrounge up some maps of the UK."

Chas nodded and proceeded to walk towards one of the dimly lit areas of the mansion.

"Cheers, mate!" Constantine yelled as Chas disappeared into the shadows.

"Aren't you worried he might get lost?" asked Hellboy nonchalantly but with a hint of concern, "I mean I would get lost considering how massive this place is."

"Nah," Constantine replied confidently, "Chas has been here many times before and the House knows him well enough to leave him alone. Unlike the poor sod that tried to break in here a few weeks ago."

Hellboy was slightly confused at the Liverpuldian occult detective's statement before being startled by a loud shriek that resonated through the mansion. The three B.P.R.D. agents anxiously looked around for the source of the shriek but found nothing.

"No need to get your knickers in a twist, lads." Constantine said, addressing the startled agents, "There's nothing to be worried about. It's just the bloke that I mentioned earlier."

The three Bureau agents turned to the Liverpuldian occult detective with perplexed looks on their faces.

"You see," Constantine explained, "The House of Mystery changes its structure periodically. Any room you enter could disappear and you'd be forever trapped here with no hope of ever escaping. To this date, I still can't find the screaming bastard. I don't even know whether he's upstairs or downstairs."

The three B.P.R.D. agents looked to each other with a worried look on their face as another shriek reverberated through the House of Mystery. If they weren't careful around the mansion, they could end up with a similar fate as the screaming man.

"Anyway," Constantine said as he clapped his hands and made his way to a bookshelf next to the fireplace, "While we wait for Chas to return with the drinks and before the screaming becomes intolerable, let's get acquainted with our targets."

The three B.P.R.D agents watched as the Liverpuldian occult detective scanned through the bookshelf before removing a thick manuscript.

"Here you go, mate." said Constantine as he tossed the manuscript towards Agent Myers, "The unpublished manuscript of what was to be the last work of the late Francis Barrett."

"Francis Barrett?" Hellboy said with intrigue, "Well-known English occultist and author of _The Magus_?"

"The same." replied Constantine as he walked back to his armchair, "The old man was working on an encyclopaedia on magical artefacts before he buggered off to the afterlife. There's an entry for the Helmet of Fate but it only contains a written physical description of it."

Agent Clay and Agent Myers scanned through the manuscript until they found Barrett's entry on the Helmet of Fate. Meanwhile, Constantine produced a folder from inside his trenchcoat. Hellboy noticed that the folder has the B.P.R.D. symbol stamped on it.

"As for Klarion," Constantine spoke with a smirk on his face as he handed the red-skinned paranormal investigator the folder, "Here's a file on him, courtesy of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defence."

"Where did you get this?" Hellboy asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Nicked it on my way out." Constantine replied smugly, "Thought it'd be a more useful way of telling you blokes who he was and save me the trouble of explaining it to you."

Hellboy opened the folder and studied its contents. Similar to the Bureau's folder on Constantine, Klarion's folder contained a picture of the witch-boy (including his cat, Teekl) as well as the standard B.P.R.D. report. By this time, Agent Myers and Agent Clay had finished reading Barrett's description of the Helmet of Fate and were staring curiously at the stolen B.P.R.D. folder in Hellboy's hands. The red-skinned paranormal investigator scanned through the B.P.R.D. report, noting that Klarion's origins was marked unknown and that he was responsible for several global incidents that occurred many years ago, before handing the folder to Agent Clay. The two Bureau agents went through the report as Chas suddenly appeared from the darkness; holding a tray with five beer bottles in one hand and several rolled up large pieces of paper in the other. The stout taxi driver handed each member of the group a beer bottle before placing the rolled up papers on the living room table.

"Right," announced Constantine as he opened his beer bottle while Chas spread one of the rolled up papers open; revealing a map of the United Kingdom, "Now that I've got myself a drink and Chas has brought us some maps, we can begin our search for that bleeding little witch-boy."

"How do you suppose we find him?" asked Agent Myers, looking at the picture of Klarion, "He could be anywhere in the world by now."

"True," answered Constantine as he rummaged through his trenchcoat pocket, "But Klarion probably hasn't gone out of the country since he's got the Helmet of Fate in his devilish little hands."

"Why do you say that?" asked Agent Clay as he placed the B.P.R.D. folder aside and took a sip of his beer, "The report stated that he's a very powerful magic-user. What's stopping him from just using magic to leave the country?"

"Klarion's a young boy," Constantine replied as he pulled out a cigarette pack, a pen and a ball of string from his trenchcoat pocket, "And like all young boys on Christmas day, he'll waste no time in trying out his new toy."

"Question now is," Hellboy asked, taking a swill from his beer bottle, "Where would he be?"

"Perhaps a little divination would help." Constantine replied as he tied the string around the cigarette pack and the pen to make a makeshift pendulum.

Everyone watched as Constantine dangled the crudely-made pendulum over the map of the United Kingdom as he began reciting a spell:

" _Bith a bhi na m'bhial, bladh a bhi nam'chainn,_

 _Siubhal Choire, Siubhal Choille, Siubhal Fradine Fada, Fas,_

 _Is math a gabhas mi mo rann!_ "

The crude pendulum suddenly began to swing in a circle around the map. Agent Myers stared in amazement whilst Agent Clay and Hellboy watched the circling pendulum closely. Slowly, the circle of the swinging pendulum began to shrink until it came to a complete halt. Agent Clay, Hellboy and Constantine looked at the area of the map that the pendulum had stopped over which was revealed to be Greater London.

"Well, that's some well-needed good news," Agent Clay remarked with elation, "At least Klarion's still somewhere in the UK."

"That's not good enough." said Chas, slightly frustrated, "Greater London's still a big area for him to hide in. We need to know which part of Greater London he's in."

"Looks like we'll need a better map." Constantine said as he removed the pendulum and took a swill of his beer.

Hellboy watched as Chas replaced the map of the United Kingdom with the map of the Greater London area.

"This is gonna take a while." he muttered, taking another swill of beer as Constantine once again dangled the pendulum over the map.

* * *

Gerald yawned with boredom as he watched the clock slowly tick towards half past five. During the eight hours he had been here, not a single customer had entered the shop. Perhaps the lack of customers was due to the fact that he was selling exotic antiques that no one was interested in, let alone wanted buy them.

Gerald gave a heavy sigh as he began to shut off all the lights in the shop. He should have listened to his wife when she tried to stop him from opening the damned shop in the first place. Now, not only was he under a mountain of debt but his wife had stopped talking to him entirely. Gerald gave another heavy sigh as he put on his anorak jacket and headed for the door at exactly half past five.

However, as he opened the door to exit his shop, Gerald was greeted by a young boy holding a striped cat. Gerald thought that the boy was dressed rather peculiarly but what he found more peculiar was the boy's hairstyle which gave him the appearance of horns protruding out of his head.

"May I help you?" Gerald asked politely, unsure of the youth's intentions, "I'm about to close shop."

"Oh, yes." the young boy said with a sinister grin on his face, "You most definitely can."

Gerald felt slightly unnerved by both the youth's smile and response. Before he could utter another word, the young boy suddenly stretched out his right hand towards him. The last thing that Gerald saw was a bright flash of red light before everything went dark.


	21. Chapter 20: Hide and Seek

Chapter 20: Hide and Seek

Hellboy had a bored expression on his face as he watched Constantine stare intently at his makeshift pendulum. The crude pendulum had not moved since Chas replaced the map of Greater London with the map of Central London a few minutes ago. Somewhat frustrated by this outcome, the Liverpuldian occult detective once again recited the incantation:

" _Bith a bhi na m'bhial, bladh a bhi nam'chainn,_

 _Siubhal Choire, Siubhal Choille, Siubhal Fradine Fada, Fas,_

 _Is math a gabhas mi mo rann!_ "

Still the makeshift pendulum remained motionless. Chas gave a dejected sigh while Constantine yelled in annoyance.

"Work you blasted thing!" yelled the Liverpuldian occult detective, his frustration getting the better of him, "You were doing so bloody well a few moments ago!"

Hellboy could not help but be amused by Constantine's exasperated expression while both Agent Clay and Agent Myers were startled awake by the Liverpuldian occult detective's frustrated yell; both having dozed off unintentionally.

"What?" asked a somewhat disoriented Agent Clay as he instinctually reached for his firearm, "What's going on?"

"Did you find Klarion?" asked Agent Myers with a hint of optimism.

"Unfortunately, no." answered Chas with a dejected look on his face, "We've managed to pinpoint his location to Central London but the pendulum's stopped moving entirely."

"Which means," Constantine interrupted, his tone oozing with disappointment as he took a swill of beer, "We're back to sodding square one. The little brat's probably put up a barrier to stop us from divining his location."

Silence fell upon Agent Clay and Agent Myers as they slowly comprehended the Liverpuldian's statement. Hellboy sipped his beer silently; a grim expression on his face. It looked like all their efforts to find the witch-boy had been for naught.

"Well, at least we know he's in Central London," Agent Myers said, trying to reassure the group, "Maybe we can start from there."

"Oh, that's a brilliant idea, mate!" remarked Constantine, not bothering to hide his sarcasm, "Let's just drive around Central London, ring every bleeding doorbell and ask if they've seen a little boy carrying a striped cat and with hair shaped like horns! I'm sure we'll find him eventually!"

"Hey!" Agent Clay yelled, defending the young agent, "He's just trying to help. There's no need to vent your anger on him."

"Trying to help?!" Constantine retaliated in anger, "Has it not occurred to you that doing what he proposed would take too much time?! We can't afford to go bloody sightseeing right now! We need to find Klarion before it's too late! And you call dozing off 'trying to help'?! Bloody suit-wearing pillock."

WHAM!

Suddenly, Constantine found himself on the floor as a very angry Agent Clay decked him in the face. Agent Myers and Hellboy watched in shocked silence as Chas quickly got in between the fuming agent and the fallen Liverpuldian occult detective. Wiping the blood from his nose, Constantine could only glare angrily at Agent Clay.

"Calm down, mate!" Chas said, trying to pacify the burly agent, "We're all equally frustrated with this outcome but bickering and fighting amongst ourselves is not going to help us find Klarion."

Agent Clay angrily glared at Constantine, his fists still clenched. After a few tense seconds, the burly agent angrily returned to his seat. Chas gave a small sigh of relief before helping the Liverpuldian occult detective up from the ground. The group remained silent as Constantine quietly returned to his armchair.

"So," asked Agent Myers, breaking the silence, "What do we do now?"

"I don't know." answered Constantine as he rubbed his bruised face, "I'm gonna have to try to figure something out. It'll be bit difficult now that I've got a headache from Agent Gorilla over there."

"Why, you little…" Agent Clay angrily uttered as he was about to get up from his seat before he felt Hellboy's hand on his shoulder

"Enough, Clay." Hellboy said sternly, ordering the burly agent to sit down.

Agent Clay could only give a disgruntled snort before returning to his seat. The red-skinned paranormal investigator then turned to Constantine.

"Let me have a go." Hellboy requested, as he motioned to the makeshift pendulum.

"And what good would that do?" answered Constantine who was slightly surprised by the red-skinned paranormal investigator's request, "You think you have a better chance of divining where Klarion is?"

"Don't know." Hellboy replied, "But it's worth a shot."

Seeing no other alternative, Constantine gave a defeated sigh and handed the crudely built pendulum to Hellboy. Using his stone right hand, the red-skinned paranormal investigator dangled the pendulum over the Central London map.

"Now, in order for this to work, you have to recite the spell. So, repeat after me." instructed Constantine as he slowly began to recite the first verse of the spell, " _Bith a bhi na m'bhial, bladh a bhi nam'chainn._ "

" _Bith a bhi na m'bhial, bladh a bhi nam'chainn._ " repeated Hellboy.

" _Siubhal Choire, Siubhal Choille_ , _Siubhal Fradine Fada, Fas."_

" _Siubhal Choire, Siubhal Choille, Siubhal Fradine Fada, Fas._ "

" _Is math a gabhas mi mo rann!"_

" _Is math a gabhas mi mo rann!_ "

Suddenly, the crudely built pendulum began to circle around the Central London map; surprising everyone in the group.

"How did you know it would work?" asked Agent Myers in awe as he watched the swinging pendulum.

"I didn't." answered Hellboy as he shot Constantine a knowing smile, "Guess I've got more magic in me than I thought."

The Liverpuldian occult detective reciprocated with a smile of his own. Soon, the swinging pendulum began to slow down. Everyone in the group watched as the pendulum slowly came to a halt over Kensington Church Street.

"Lads!" Constantine said with a smile, "We've found our witch-boy."

* * *

"Ugh…" Gerald groaned as he slowly opened his eyes and shook his head, "What in God's name happened? Feels like my head's been hit with a ton of bricks."

Still somewhat groggy, the antique shop owner tried to place his hands on his temple but found he couldn't move his arms.

"What the…" Gerald uttered as he realised that his hands and feet were bound to the chair he was sitting on via a set of chains.

This revelation served to shift Gerald's mind into full alert. A sense of dread filled the antique shop owner as he struggled to release himself from his restraints. His efforts were in vain as the chains only tightened around his appendages. In his panicked state, Gerald failed to notice Klarion approaching him.

"It looks like our guest is awake, Teekl." the young witch-boy said with a cheeky grin, alerting Gerald to his presence.

Gerald looked at Klarion and immediately recognised him as the peculiar-looking boy that he met just before closing his shop. In his arms was a striped cat; staring intently at the antique shop owner. Gerald looked around and found himself in a room shrouded in darkness with the only source of light coming from the lamp above him.

"Where am I?" asked Gerald, his voice confused and filled with fear as he turned to Klarion, "Who are you? What do you want from me?"

"Oh, how rude of us, Teekl." Klarion said in mock politeness, "We've forgotten to introduce ourselves to our guest."

The striped cat appeared to meow in agreement. Gerald watched in fear as the young boy took a deep bow.

"Allow me to introduce myself," Klarion said as stood back up, gazing at the scared antique shop owner, "I am Klarion the witch-boy."

"And this lovely creature," the young witch-boy continued as he motioned to the striped cat he was cradling, "Is Teekl. Say hello to our guest."

Teekl gave a meow before leaping off Klarion's arms and onto Gerald's lap. The antique shop owner felt very unsettled as the striped cat stared directly at him.

"As to where you are," Klarion continued, regaining Gerald's attention, "I'm afraid that I can't tell you that as it would spoil all the fun having you here with us."

"And as to what we want from you," the young witch-boy said, an evil grin slowly creeping onto his face, "Well, why don't I show you?"

With a wave of his hand, Klarion summoned a rusty old medical trolley from the shadows. Inside the trolley were two large glass jars connected to a series of rubber tubes. The glass jars had strange lines and circles etched onto them and the tip of each rubber tube had a large needle attached.

"I believe this was one of the items you were selling in your shop." Klarion said as he gestured to the apparatus, "I hope you don't mind us borrowing it. Do you know what it is?"

Gerald recognised the antique glass jars from his shop but was too afraid to answer the young witch-boy. Klarion stood waiting impatiently for Gerald's answer while Teekl sat curled up on the antique shop owner's lap.

"For an antique shop owner, you certainly do not know much about your antiques," the young witch-boy said with an impatient tone, "Because of your incompetence, I won't tell you its true purpose."

Gerald anxiously watched as Klarion motioned towards Teekl, who promptly leapt off the antique shop owner's lap.

"However," Klarion said with a malevolent grin, "I will say that in order for those glass jars to work, a blood sacrifice is required."

Gerald eyes widened in fear as he realised his role in the young witch-boy's plans.

"No, please!" Gerald pleaded, tears running down his face, "I don't want to die. Please! Let me go!"

"Teekl," Klarion instructed his striped cat, ignoring the antique shop owner's pleas, "Prepare the sacrifice."

Teekl gave a meow as she began to transform. Gerald watched in horror as the small striped cat turned into an anthropomorphic werecat and began to approach him.

"No!" the antique shop owner screamed as Teekl placed a clawed finger on his forehead, "NO! NOOOO!"

Klarion could only laugh with glee as Gerald's screams of anguish echoed across the room.


	22. Chapter 21: A Mad Rush

Chapter 21: A Mad Rush

Alistair Weiner was in the best of moods. He had just been told by his supervisor that he had made the most sales for the month and that upper management were considering him for a promotion. Alistair's face was practically beaming with joy as he drove his Ford Focus along the A315; excited to tell his fiancé the good news. Even the radio station was playing his favourite song, 'Starman' by David Bowie. Alistair couldn't remember the last time he had felt this joyous. Just as he was entering Hammersmith Road, a yellow DHL van suddenly shot out from the junction on the right. Alistair quickly slammed onto the brakes as the van dangerously swerved into his lane, narrowly missing the front bumper of his Ford Focus. Meanwhile, the driver of the hatchback behind Alistair's car couldn't react in time to the Ford Focus's sudden stop and slammed straight into its back. The impact caused Alistair to jerk forward and slam headfirst into the airbag that had deployed from the car's wheel. Slightly stunned, Alistair took his head out of the airbag and watched as the yellow DHL van sped away; his car alarm blaring loudly in his ears.

* * *

"Bloody hell, Chas!" snapped Constantine, bracing himself against his seat as the DHL van swerved sharply, "Wouldn't hurt if you drove more smoothly now, would it?

"Sorry, mate." the stout taxi driver said unapologetically as he continued driving recklessly, "But you did say we needed to get there quickly."

"Well, it wouldn't do us much good if we arrived there dead." Constantine uttered as he made sure his seatbelt was fastened tightly.

Chas could only chuckle as the Liverpuldian occult detective banged his fist onto the van's bulkhead.

"You lads alright back there?" Constantine yelled as the DHL van made its way into Kensington High Street.

A part of the bulkhead slid open as Agent Myers revealed himself.

"We're fine." answered Agent Myers, "Things are in a bit of a disarray here but we're okay."

"You'll have to blame Chas for that." quipped Constantine, "He's driving like a bloody madman."

"We can tell." Hellboy could be heard saying as he made his way to the bulkhead's opening, "You're right up there next to Clay in terms of driving vans."

"Hey!" Agent Clay protested from out of sight.

"Well, you wouldn't have to feel uncomfortable much longer," assured Chas as he spied the turning into Kensington Church Street, "We're almost there."

The DHL van then took a sharp left turn, causing Agent Myers and Hellboy to tumble into the van's side while Constantine braced himself against his seat once again.

"Chas, you pillock!" Constantine cried with annoyance, "Try to get us there without killing us, will ya?"

Chas laughed as he slowed the van to a cruising speed; not because of Constantine's request but rather because the road had narrowed down significantly.

"You're a real arse, you know that?" Constantine said to the amused taxi driver before looking through the bulkhead's opening to determine if the van's back passengers were alright.

"I'll second that." answered Hellboy as he got up from the floor, "It's a wonder how you became a taxi driver."

The red-skinned paranormal investigator proceeded towards the bulkhead's opening and peered through the DHL van's windscreen. Kensington Church Street looked like a typical small town road, with houses and small shops surrounding the road. The street was relatively empty as it was quite late in the evening.

"Cosy." Hellboy remarked as he surveyed the houses and shops.

"Very cosy," Agent Clay said as he also peered through the van windshield, "Which brings into question why Klarion would hide here of all places?"

"There's an antique shop here that sells some very exotic antiques, manned by a bloke named Gerald," answered Chas as he continued to cruise along Kensington Church Street, "John sometimes gets his magical artefacts from him."

"Not that the old fool realises what he has," interjected Constantine, "Ä bit dim for an antique shop owner."

"So, you think Klarion could be hiding in that antique shop?" asked Agent Myers who had joined Agent Clay and Hellboy at the bulkhead opening

"Probably." Constantine answered, "That's where the pendulum directed us. Besides, an antique shop would be a perfect hiding place for him. Imagine being surrounded by potentially powerful magical artefacts. One of them could be a critical component for his plans with the Helmet of Fate."

"Let's hope Klarion's still there though." Hellboy said as the DHL van neared its destination, "And that Gerald is safe."

The DHL van stopped outside a tall building whose entrance was painted white. On top of the entrance was a sign that spelled out, in gold letters:

 **'BUTCHOFF'**

"We're here." Chas said, his voice now serious as he got out of the DHL van.

Constantine followed suit and studied the antique shop while Chas went to unlock the backdoors of the van. The inside of the shop was dark but the entrance door was still open. The Liverpuldian occult detective was unsettled by this fact. Meanwhile, the three Bureau agents had gotten out of the van and were themselves studying the antique shop.

"At least we won't need to force our way in." Constantine said in a joking tone in a failed attempt to mask his uneasiness as he pointed towards the open shop door.

The group then made their way into the dark shop. Once inside the shop, Hellboy felt a faint yet familiar sensation as the group struggled to see anything in the dark.

"We'd better find the light switch." Constantine said as he lit his lighter, "It's not much but at least this'll make it easier for us to look."

With only the measly fire from Constantine's lighter as a light source, the group searched for the light switch; carefully avoiding the antiques that were on display. The low light conditions as well as the shadows produced from the strange shapes of some of the antiques gave the shop a very eerie atmosphere.

"Found it." announced Agent Clay as he flicked on the switches behind the cashier counter.

Artificial light flooded the antique shop, temporarily blinding the group members. As their eyes adjusted to the brightness, the group found the shop devoid of people. The strangely shaped antiques that gave the shop an eerie atmosphere in the dark now seemed not as sinister.

"Guess we won't be needing this then." said Constantine as he pocketed his lighter.

"It looks like no one's here." Agent Clay commented as he surveyed the shop.

"Maybe the Gerald's still here somewhere." Agent Myers commented, "Does this place have a basement or an upstairs?"

"No." answered Chas with a worried look on his face, "The shop only covers this floor and there's no basement. There are a couple of rooms upstairs but they're rented out to other people and Gerald doesn't stay in any of them."

Agent Clay and Agent Myers looked at each other, confounded by the mystery before them.

"However," Constantine uttered, "We know that Klarion's involved in this somehow. That's why the pendulum brought us here."

"How can you be certain?" asked a skeptical Agent Clay, "The shop looks too clean. It's like he never even entered the shop."

"No, John's right." refuted Hellboy, "I sense traces of magic in this shop. It's faint but I recognise it as Klarion's."

"But why did the pendulum bring us here instead of Klarion's location?" asked a somewhat confused Agent Myers.

"Klarion's placed a barrier over himself that prevents others from finding him," explained Constantine, "The pendulum must have picked up on the residual magic that was left in this shop."

"That means Klarion is still out there somewhere," Agent Clay remarked with frustration, "Which means we're back to square one."

"Not necessarily." Constantine said smugly, "We know that Klarion came to this shop for a reason. If we can find out what he was doing here in the first place, we might be able to determine his plans for the Helmet of Fate and perhaps find out where the little devil's hiding."

"But what of the shop owner?" asked Hellboy, "Don't you think we should find him?"

"I'm thinking Gerald is still alive and is with Klarion," replied Constantine, turning to Hellboy, "Remember the museum guard? Normally, Klarion obliterates people to take what he wants and leaves quite a mess. Considering that there's no signs of a body or any bloodstains, it's pretty safe to assume Klarion has plans for poor old Gerald."

"What would he want with the shop owner though?" asked Agent Myers.

With a smug grin on his face, Constantine went through his trenchcoat pockets and produced a piece of paper.

"Let's find out shall we?" said the smug Liverpuldian occult detective as he once again lit his lighter.

* * *

Gerald felt physically and mentally exhausted. For the past thirty minutes he had been screaming in anguish as the striped werecat used her sharp claws to carve strange symbols onto his body. When Teekl had finished the last symbol, a large pool of blood had accumulated at Gerald's feet while his body was painted red from his own blood.

"Please…" Gerald weakly pleaded," No more…I can't take it."

Klarion, who had gleefully watched the gruesome proceedings, remained where he stood; staring at the blood-soaked antique shop owner and ignoring the poor man's pleas.

"Not yet." Klarion said with gleeful malevolence, "There is still work to be done and I still have need of you."

Gerald could only watch with tired eyes as the young witch-boy approached him and placed his youthful hands on Gerald's blood-soaked head. Klarion then began to whisper something that was inaudible to the antique shop owner. Suddenly, Gerald felt great pain as something invisible invaded his body. The antique shop owner struggled with his constraints; his body contorting as multiple invisible forces invaded his body. Throughout all this, Klarion held onto Gerald's head; continuing to recite the inaudible spell. As he finished the incantation, the young witch-boy released the antique shop owner's head and took a step back. His body in extreme pain, Gerald watched in horror as his skin began to turn a dark black colour. Soon, all traces of his blood-soaked skin disappeared and Gerald became akin to a dark shadow with the symbols that had been carved onto his body glowing against his ebony skin.

"What have…you…done to me?" Gerald asked weakly.

"You have become an avatar of Chaos," explained Klarion, "And now you are finally ready for the true task."

Gerald watched as Klarion summoned a golden helmet encapsulated in a red energy sphere from the darkness. The young witch-boy then carefully placed the golden helmet in one of the glass jars while Teekl placed an iron helmet in the other glass jar. Taking each of the glass jar's rubber tubes, the young witch-boy approached Gerald; his eyes filled with evil intent.

"This is going to hurt a lot." Klarion said with a malevolent tone as he thrust the needle-tipped rubber tubes into Gerald's chest.

Gerald screamed in extreme pain as he felt the needles penetrate his heart. He had expected to immediately die from this direct assault on his heart but was surprised to find that his heart was still beating. Klarion took a step back and admired his handiwork. The rubber tubes pulsated in rhythm with Gerald's beating heart. At first, nothing happened. Then, slowly a column of white light began to travel from the glass jar containing the golden helmet. The white column inched its way through the rubber tube and into Gerald's heart. As soon the white column entered Gerald's body, the antique shop owner was suddenly struck with excruciating pain as he felt his entire insides burn; almost as if millions of tiny needles were being pumped through his veins. Gerald screamed as a black column of light began to emerge from his body and into the rubber tube of the second glass jar. The dark column began to travel towards the glass jar containing the iron helmet. A black spot appeared on the iron helmet as the dark column entered the glass jar.

"Yes!" Klarion said triumphantly with a smile on his face, "Soon, I will have my own helmet. A helmet of pure Chaos!"

Klarion let out an evil laugh as poor Gerald continued to scream in agony.


	23. Chapter 22: Tausends Umwandlungsgerät

Chapter 22: Tausends Umwandlungsgerät

" _Ximbatik kaajal ak bin-ka-aak-abtal!_ " recited Constantine as he ignited the old piece of paper in his hand.

Thick, brown smoke began to emanate from the burning paper and quickly spread across the shop; engulfing the group in its suffocating grasp.

"What the hell's going on?" coughed Agent Clay as the thick smoke entered his lungs, "Is he trying to asphyxiate us?!"

Agent Myers was also suffering as his lungs and eyes burned from the thick smoke. Constantine and Chas (and to a lesser degree, Hellboy) seemed unaffected by the brown smoke.

"Relax, Clay,"Hellboy said in a reassuring tone as he remembered the first time he encountered the thick brown smoke, "Just keep your eyes open and try not to breath in too much of the smoke."

Agent Clay struggled to heed Hellboy's advice as he covered his mouth and nose. His eyes burning, the burly agent watched as the thick brown smoke twisted and contracted. Slowly, it began to take on the shape of what appeared to be a middle-aged man. Agent Clay watched as the smoky figure proceeded to walk around the shop before making its way towards the cashier counter. For a few minutes the smoky figure appeared to be fiddling with something behind the counter before making its way to the shop entrance. As it reached the entrance, the smoky figure suddenly stopped for a few seconds before abruptly collapsing to the ground. Another wisp of smoke then took the shape of a young boy with distinct horns on his head. The small smoky figure then proceeded to enter the shop and walked towards an empty display case. Agent Clay watched as the small smoky figure appeared to reach out and grab something from the empty display case before heading to the shop entrance. Just before it reached the shop entrance, the small smoky figure began to lose its form as the thick smoke slowly started to dissipate. Soon, all traces of the brown smoke disappeared. Agent Clay felt somewhat nauseous from the experience and held back the urge to throw up. Agent Myers, on the other hand, was kneeling on the ground; forcefully emptying his stomach's contents onto the shop floor.

"Well, that's a first," uttered Constantine as he watched the vomiting young agent with a sickened expression, "Chas, why don't you help the poor guy out?"

The stout taxi driver was a bit reluctant to help Agent Myers up from the ground but did so anyways. By then, the young agent had completely emptied his stomach and with Chas's help, struggled to his feet.

"God, that was horrible," Agent Myers groaned as he wiped the residual vomit from his mouth with his sleeves, "Please tell me we won't have to do that again."

"We won't." assured Chas who was both amused and disgusted by Agent Myer's actions.

Meanwhile, Constantine had made his way towards the empty display case that the small smoky figure had approached before. On the side of the case was a golden label which read:

" ** _Tausends Umwandlungsger_ _ä_** _ **t** "_

"So," Hellboy said as he joined Constantine at the empty display case, "This was what he was after?"

"Looks like it, mate," replied Constantine as he studied the golden label on the display case, "Problem is I'm not really up on my German so I've no idea what it says."

Hellboy took his turn to read the golden label.

"It roughly translates to 'Tausend's tansmutating device',"Hellboy stated as he turned to Constantine, "Could it mean Franz Tausend, the man who allegedly convinced the Nazi Party that he could extract gold from any metals?"

"And managed to swindle half a million dollars from them?" Constantine replied with a worried expression, "The one and only."

"But I thought he was a fraud?" exclaimed Hellboy, "At least, that's what I was told when I was living in the New Mexico Air Force base."

"Oh yeah, he was a fraud," Constantine remarked as he lit a cigarette, "But Tausend still had enough alchemical knowledge to make his own transmutation device. And surprise, surprise, it actually worked but not in the way that he expected."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Agent Clay who had overheard the conversation between Constantine and Hellboy, and had joined them at the empty display case.

"The purpose of a transmutation device is to transform one thing into another," explained Constantine as he took a puff of his cigarette, "All alchemists had their own version of this device since they were always trying to convert common metals into gold, usually with little success."

"However," Constantine continued, "Tausend's transmutation device doesn't transmute metals but rather magic, more specifically the nature of magical energy."

"So," uttered Hellboy as he tried to comprehend the Liverpuldian occult detective's explanation, "You're saying that Tausend's device could convert magical energy into another form of magical energy?"

"More or less," replied Constantine, taking another puff of his cigarette, "Let's put this in simple terms. There're two major forms of magic: white magic and black magic. White magic is, what you call, 'good' magic in that it is magic used for selfless purposes. Black magic, on the other hand, is 'bad' magic; magic used for the sake of malicious intentions. Using Tausend's device, a magic user could change white magic into black magic and vice versa. This also includes magic within magical objects."

"But," the Liverpuldian occult detective said in a foreboding tone, "There's a catch. In order to use Tausend's device, you would need a blood sacrifice. Only through a blood sacrifice can the transmutation of magical energy happen."

"Which explains why he kidnapped Gerald," Agent Myers said weakly as he and Chas joined the rest of the group, "But why would he need device in the first place?"

"I'm guessing it has to do with the Helmet of Fate." answered Hellboy as he turned to Constantine for confirmation.

"As always, Hellboy, you're a quick study," praised the Liverpuldian occult detective as he took another puff of his cigarette, "The Helmet of Fate is a magical artefact brimming with white magic. Klarion, being a witch-boy, is a practitioner of black magic so he would be unable to use the helmet because of the difference in the nature of his magic. My guess is Klarion is using Tausend's device to get around this dilemma."

"Then we've got to find him now," Chas exclaimed with urgency, "Before he can completely convert the helmet's vast stores of white magic into black magic and make use of it."

"But we still don't know where he is," Agent Clay said with a somewhat dispirited tone, "There's no point in knowing his intentions for the helmet if we can't find him."

"Now don't you get yourself all twisted up, mate," Constantine said as he stomped on the last remnant of his cigarette, "We may not know exactly where he is in Central London but we can assume that he hasn't travelled far, considering he has to lug ol'Gerald around. Furthermore, we can deduce his location. For you see, in order for Klarion to convert the huge amounts of white magic in the Helmet of Fate into black magic, he would still need a huge supply of black magic to do so. Which means he has to be in a place that's chock-full of black magic."

"Which means anywhere in London that's a hotspot for pagan rituals or any occult activity," Chas uttered in annoyance, "In which there are many."

"Yes I know, Chas," countered the Liverpuldian occult detective, "But he would have to be in a place that's away from prying eyes. So, cemeteries and wide open fields are definitely out. He would have to do the transmutation somewhere secluded, like an abandoned building or a cave or…."

Suddenly, Constantine's eyes lit up as he was struck by an epiphany. A grin crept onto his face.

"Johnny boy, you brilliant bastard!" Constantine cried with elation as he slapped his forehead, "Why didn't I bloody think of that before?! That would be the perfect place for the sodding little devil's scheme!"

The rest of the group were confused by the Liverpuldian occult detective's sudden excitement.

"What is it, John?" asked Hellboy with intrigue, "What are you trying to say?"

"Everyone get back in the van!" ordered the Liverpuldian occult detective as he quickly made his way out of the antique shop.

The rest of the group remained in their spot; dumbstruck by Constantine's sudden urgency.

"Oi!" Constantine could be heard shouting from outside the shop, "Are you lot coming or what?!"

The rest of the group looked at each other with confused expressions still on their faces before rushing back to the van.

* * *

Gerald continued to scream in agony as his body painfully kept converting the white magic of the Helmet of Fate into black magic for the iron helmet. The Helmet of Fate, whose golden radiance could brighten an empty room, now looked significantly paler and rusted; a result of Tausend's transmutation device extracting its vast stores of white magic. The iron helmet, on the other hand, was now almost a shiny jet-black colour from the black magic being pumped into it. Klarion could only watch with giddy anticipation as more of the iron helmet's surface was slowly covered in darkness. Teekl stood by the young witch-boy's side, watching the ritual intently. Suddenly, her ears pricked up and she turned to the face the darkness; hissing.

"What's wrong, Teekl?" asked Klarion, curious of the striped cat's behaviour, "Did you sense something?"

Klarion looked into the direction where Teekl was hissing and proceeded to close his eyes. An evil grin slowly crept onto his face.

"Yes, Teekl," the young witch-boy said as he opened his eyes and looked at his striped cat, "I sense them too. John Constantine and his idiotic bunch."

Klarion then turned back to face the screaming Gerald, the evil smile still etched onto his face.

"They think they can stop us." the young witch-boy said confidently as Teekl leapt into his arms, "Let them try! They'll soon realise that it's too late. In a few moments, the powers of the Helmet of Fate will be mine to command!"


	24. Chapter 23: The Hellfire Caves

Chapter 23: The Hellfire Caves

The DHL van screeched to a halt as it reached its intended destination. Its five occupants quickly got out from the vehicle to find themselves in front of a cave whose entrance mimicked the facade of a gothic church.

"The Hellfire Caves!" Chas uttered with sudden revelation, "Of course Klarion would be here. It's the perfect place!"

"Why?" asked Agent Myers as he studied the cave's entrance, "Why would he hide here?"

"The Hellfire Caves used to be the main headquarters for the Hellfire Club led by Sir Francis Dashwood," answered Agent Clay, "They were notorious for holding pagan rituals and orgies during their meetings in these caves."

"No time for a history lesson, mate." Constantine interrupted as he quickly walked towards the cave entrance, "Let's just get ourselves in and stop Klarion before it's too late."

The rest of the group followed the Liverpuldian occult detective towards the Hellfire Caves' entrance only to find it closed by a locked metal gate.

"Don't worry," reassured Constantine as he stretched out both his hands towards the gate, "I know a quick spell that will get us in."

Suddenly, the metal gate violently flew from its hinges, landing onto the ground with a loud clang that resonated throughout the cave. Constantine stood with his outstretched hands in silence; a surprised expression on his face. Hellboy stood with his stone right arm outstretched, his hand formed into a fist.

"Gate's open." the red-skinned paranormal investigator said nonchalantly as he stepped into the cave entrance, "Let's go."

The rest of the group entered the cave, leaving Constantine behind as he slowly lowered his hands.

"That works as well, I guess." the Liverpuldian occult detective said in an embarrassed tone as he too entered the cave.

* * *

Klarion watched as the iron helmet was almost completely covered in darkness before his ears picked up on a loud sound echoing through the caves.

"They're already here," the young witch-boy uttered in annoyance, "But the ritual is still not complete!"

Klarion turned to Teekl who was sat at his side.

"Teekl!" he ordered, "Distract Constantine and his group. The ritual must not be disturbed!"

Teekl meowed in response to her young master's orders and transformed into her giant feline form. With a loud growl, she bounded in the direction of Constantine's group. Klarion had a pleased expression as he watched his giant striped cat disappear into the darkness before turning his attention back to the iron helmet.

"Soon," the young witch-boy muttered in anticipation, "Very soon."

Meanwhile…

* * *

Constantine and his group struggled to navigate through the narrow passages and tunnels of the Hellfire Caves. It did not help that the lights placed alongside the passage only provided so much illumination.

"We should have brought a torch." Chas said in a frustrated voice, "Can't see a bloody thing! We'll never find Klarion at this rate."

"Don't get your knickers in a twist now, mate." Constantine said to the stout taxi driver, "Don't you know your old boy John still has a few tricks up his sleeve?"

As soon as he completed his sentence, the Liverpuldian occult detective's right hand suddenly burst into flames. The rest of the group backed away as Constantine raised his flame-engulfed hand to the cave ceiling; bathing the narrow passage with the warm light of the fire.

"Right," Constantine said with a smug smile on his face, "That should solve our visibility issue."

"I didn't know you could conjure fire!" exclaimed a surprised Agent Clay, "That would have helped when we were in the antique shop earlier."

"And risk burning the entire bloody shop down?!" came Constantine's sarcastic reply, "Gerald would kill me if he sees his entire shop up in smoke. Well, assuming if he's still alive, of course."

Agent Myers was slightly concerned by Constantine's disregard for the fate of the antique shop owner as he turned towards Hellboy.

"You sense anything, Red?" asked the young agent.

"Yeah," answered Hellboy, "A huge amount of black magic in the cave but there's too much to discern Klarion's position."

"No surprise there, mate." Constantine remarked as he led the way, "There's a lot of bad juju in this place, considering its history. Fortunately, I've still got one more trick up me sleeve."

Using his left hand, Constantine ruffled through his trenchcoat's pocket and produced a large red gem. The gem gave an unnatural glow as the rest of the group inspected it.

"The blood gem of Salem," Constantine explained, "Made from the collective blood of the witches that were hunted in that town. The Puritans used it to detect other witches or any signs of witchcraft since it gives off a pretty colour in the presence of black magic. The more black magic it detects, the brighter it glows."

"So, if it glows brighter," questioned Agent Myers, "That means we're getting closer to Klarion?"

"Now you're getting it." Constantine replied as he turned to walk along the cave passage.

The group continued navigating through the Hellfire Caves, now guided by the blood-red gem's glow and Constantine's magic fire. Time slowly passed as the group continued journeying through the cave; the blood gem's glow never changing in intensity. After what seemed like hours, the blood gem suddenly glowed brighter.

"Alright!" Chas said triumphantly, "Now, we're getting somewhere."

The group continued along the cave passage; the glow of the blood gem continuing to increase in intensity.

"Everybody stop!" Hellboy suddenly yelled out.

The group stopped in their tracks, startled by Hellboy's sudden warning. The red-skinned paranormal investigator appeared to be listening for something.

"Do you guys hear that?" Hellboy asked as he turned towards the group.

The rest of the group strained their ears to listen to what Hellboy had apparently heard. Then, they heard it. A low growling sound that seemed to echo through the cave.

"What is that?" asked Agent Clay as he struggled to locate the source of the noise through the darkness, "Where's it coming from?"

Hellboy remained silent as he scrutinised the darkness in an attempt to pinpoint the source of the noise. Suddenly, he caught sight of a pair of glowing green eyes staring at him from just a few feet away.

"John," whispered the red-skinned paranormal investigator as he tapped on Constantine's shoulder before pointing towards the green eyes, "Over there."

Constantine looked at where Hellboy had pointed and saw the floating green eyes. As he directed his right hand towards the eyes, the light from the magic flame revealed the head of a giant striped cat.

"Oh crap." Hellboy uttered as the large feline sprung towards the group with a loud roar.

The group attempted to escape from the giant cat but Teekl was having none of it. The large feline leapt over the group of five and landed in front of them, effectively blocking the way forward. Constantine and the rest of the group stopped in their tracks as Teekl ominously turned towards them, her sharp teeth bared.

"Looks like she doesn't want us to go there." Chas whispered as he stared intently at the growling large feline that was slowly approaching them.

"All the more reason for us to do so," Constantine said in a determined tone, "Klarion's just over there and she's trying to stop us from reaching him. We have to get pass her."

"How do you suppose we do that?" Agent Myers asked nervously as Teekl continued to approach them ominously.

"Simple," Hellboy answered as he made his way to the front of the group; gun in his left hand, "Shoot it."

The rest of the group backed away as Hellboy shot a round at the large feline. Teekl dodged the shot although the bullet managed to graze her shoulder. The large feline glared at Hellboy, her eyes filled with rage.

"Maybe that wasn't such a good idea." said Agent Clay as Teekl gave a loud roar and pounced onto Hellboy, sending the red-skinned paranormal investigator flying a few feet away from the group.

"RED!" yelled Agent Myers as he watched the large feline pin Hellboy to the ground.

"Don't worry about me!" yelled Hellboy as he swerved his head to avoid Teekl's sharp teeth, "Go stop Klarion!"

Constantine nodded and began to run in the opposite direction, followed by Chas. Agent Myers remained at his spot, his mind split on whether to help Hellboy fight the large feline. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a hand on his arm

"Come on!" Agent Clay yelled as he pulled the young agent's arm, "Red can handle this. We gotta go!"

Agent Myers was still hesitant to leave Hellboy in the giant cat's grasp. With a defeated expression on his face, Agent Myers went with Agent Clay to join Constantine and Chas. Unfortunately, Teekl heard their running footsteps and momentarily stopped attacking Hellboy. Her attention was now turned to the fleeing B.P.R.D. agents and she prepared to give chase. Just as Teekl was about to spring in the direction of the two agents, Hellboy quickly grabbed onto her tail using his stone right arm

"Oh no you don't!" yelled Hellboy as he tugged onto the giant cat's tail, "Your fight's with me!"

Teekl screeched in pain as she felt Hellboy pull on her tail. Multiple claw marks appeared on the cave floor as Teekl desperately tried to claw away from Hellboy's grasp and go after the Bureau agents. Hellboy was forced to use both hands to grab Teekl's tail as he struggled to hold on to the large feline. With one quick burst of strength, Hellboy gave a hard yank and hurled the large feline onto the ground with a loud thud. As Teekl stood up slightly dazed, Hellboy took a step towards her.

"Now then," he said as he formed a fist with his stone hand, "You ready for round two?"

* * *

"Hurry!" yelled Constantine as he ran across the cave passage, the blood gem in his left hand glowing brightly, "We're getting close!"

Agent Myers, Agent Clay and Chas were not far behind as they followed the Liverpuldian occult detective through the cave passages. Constantine continued running, the increasing intensity of the blood gem's glow dictating his path.

"There!" the Liverpuldian occult detective yelled as he approached a bend in the cave passage; the blood gem practically shining, "He's just around the corner!"

As Constantine turned the corner, the colour immediately drained from his face. When Chas and the two Bureau agents finally joined him, their expressions turned morbid. For what greeted them was the sight of a dried up black corpse plugged into two glass jars; one which held a rusty looking helmet and the other which was empty. In front of this gruesome scene was Klarion, laughing maniacally with a jet-black helmet in his hands.

"You're too late, John Constantine!" Klarion said with glee as he raised the black helmet over his head, "The Helmet of Fate is no more! There is only the Helmet of Chaos!"

"Bollocks to that!" yelled Constantine as he made a mad dash towards the young witch-boy, "You're not wearing that damned helmet, you son of a…"

Unfortunately, the Liverpuldian occult detective was not fast enough to stop the young witch-boy as Klarion placed the newly christened Helmet of Chaos on his head, releasing a powerful surge of black magic that knocked Constantine to the ground. Chas, Agent Myers and Agent Clay could only shield themselves as they too were knocked back by the powerful surge of magic. Slightly dazed, Constantine struggled to sit up only to find a dark figure hovering over the spot where Klarion had once been standing. The dark figure had a body of adult proportions and appeared to be covered in a black sticky substance. The Helmet of Chaos that the figure wore now had a sinister shape to it, perfectly reflecting its wearer's dark nature.

"Behold!" Klarion said in a booming, villainous voice, "I am Klarion, Lord of Chaos!"


	25. Chapter 24: The Lord of Chaos Cometh

Chapter 24: The Lord of Chaos Cometh

Constantine staggered to his feet; a horrified expression on his face. The Helmet of Fate lay rusted on the cave floor while its perverted counterpart was atop the head of the dark figure hovering a few steps away from him. The Liverpuldian occult detective could only watch with silent dread as Klarion marvelled at his new black, slimy body.

"What's wrong, Constantine?" Klarion's voiced boomed with sinister glee; amused by the Liverpuldian occult detective's expression, "No sardonic remark? No witty retort? That is so unlike you."

Constantine remained petrified in his place as Klarion hovered towards him menacingly.

"Then again," said the young Lord of Chaos as he slowly stretched his dark, slimy hand towards the Liverpuldian occult detective, "I always did appreciate your rare moments of speechlessness."

A sudden gunshot jolted Constantine from his catatonic stupor as a bullet ricocheted off Klarion's helmet (slightly annoying the newly-christened Lord of Chaos). The Liverpuldian occult detective quickly turned behind to find both Agent Myers and Agent Clay with their guns drawn.

"Get out of there, Constantine!" yelled Agent Myers as he held his firearm at ready.

The Liverpuldian occult detective did not have to be told twice as he hastily got away from the two Bureau agents' line of fire.

"Take him out!" Agent Clay shouted as he and Agent Myers proceeded to open fire onto Klarion.

However, the bullets did not reach their mark as they were deflected by runic symbols that magically appeared on the young Chaos Lord's ink-black body. Klarion gave a hint of a sinister grin as he stretched his right hand towards the Bureau agents before clenching it into a fist. The two agents had shocked expressions on their faces as their firearms suddenly disintegrated in front of their very eyes. Deriving some sadistic pleasure from their expression, Klarion opened his hand once more; sending the two Bureau agents slamming into the cave wall. Meanwhile, Chas had recovered from being knocked down by the prior magical surge and was now charging towards Klarion. The young Lord of Chaos shot a glance at the charging burly taxi driver before using his other hand to catch the man by the throat.

"Foolishness!" Klarion bellowed as he lifted Chas off the ground, "Did you think you could physically harm me?! What a pathetic notion."

Chas struggled to get loose as Klarion's grip on his throat began to tighten. The young Lord of Chaos appeared to be enjoying himself immensely as he watched the burly taxi driver squirm in his grasp. His enjoyment was short-lived, however, as he suddenly found himself engulfed in fire. Although he did not feel any pain from the flames, Klarion was nonetheless surprised by the attack that he dropped Chas to the ground. As the flames on his body began to die down, Klarion searched for his attacker. Constantine stood brazenly in front of him; pointing what looked like a golden nozzle towards the young Chaos Lord.

"Fire?!" Klarion said half-surprisingly and half-mockingly, "Did you seriously believe that an elementary fire spell could hurt me?! Your desperation shows, John Constantine."

"Oh, nothing elementary about this flame, mate." Constantine replied with a smug grin.

The Liverpuldian occult detective's reply and his smug delivery of it confused Klarion for a moment. Only when he glanced at his forearm did the young Chaos Lord realise what Constantine had meant. His forearm, once covered in dark sticky substance, was now free of the said substance. Looking all over, Klarion soon realised that some parts of his body shared a similar fate. The young Chaos Lord's eyes widened as the he was suddenly struck by a revelation.

"Dragon fire." Klarion hissed as he turned towards Constantine with eyes filled with a mix of anger and fear.

Before the young Lord of Chaos could react, Constantine released another stream of dragon fire from the golden nozzle. This time, Klarion felt the searing heat of the magical fire on his exposed flesh; causing him to shriek in pain. Though he was perturbed by Klarion's guttural and uncanny shrieks, Constantine continued his fiery assault on the young Lord of Chaos; stepping closer to Klarion each time he turned on the golden nozzle.

"And not just any dragon fire too," uttered Constantine arrogantly as he watched Klarion stagger back slowly from the continuous stream of dragon fire, "Fire from the Welsh red dragon, _Y Ddraig Goch_. Really does a number against creatures of the dark and black magic users such as yourself."

Klarion continued to scream in pain as more of his flesh was exposed to the magical dragon fire. Constantine had no intention of giving the young Chaos Lord any respite and continued assaulting him with streams of the magical flame. The feeling of dread he had initially felt when he first set eyes on the transformed Klarion had now been replaced with a new sense of hope. He had known that this magical tool would be effective against an enemy like Klarion but did not expect it to be the perfect tool to defeat the young Lord of Chaos. It looked like things were going smoothly for once today…

Suddenly, a charred hand shot out from the flames and grabbed the front end of the golden nozzle; catching Constantine by surprise. The Liverpuldian occult detective realised too late as the charred hand crushed the nozzle, effectively stopping the torrent of dragon fire. Constantine immediately released the golden nozzle and tried to back away quickly but soon felt a burning sensation around his neck as another charred hand shot out from the fire and grabbed his throat. As the flames died down, the Liverpuldian occult detective was treated to a horrible sight. Except for his head which was protected by the Helmet of Chaos, Klarion's body was like that of a burned mutilated corpse. Parts of the young Chaos Lord's body was charred beyond belief while other parts of his flesh was still bubbling from the extreme heat. The worse part, however, was the smell. Constantine's stomach churned as noxious fumes from Klarion's burnt body entered his lungs. Only the tightening grip of the young Chaos Lord's hand on his throat stopped the Liverpuldian occult detective from emptying his stomach contents onto the floor.

"You will pay dearly for that!" Klarion bellowed menacingly through the Helmet of Chaos, his eyes bloodshot and filled with rage.

Constantine struggled helplessly as Klarion's body began to heal itself. Charred flesh was soon replaced with new flesh. Soon, the young Lord of Chaos was fully healed and his body was once again coated in black, sticky substance.

"You think it's so easy to use magic to repair this body?!" Klarion bellowed angrily, his grip on the Liverpuldian occult detective's neck tightening even more, "Do you know how painful it is for me to go through that healing process?!"

Constantine could not breathe let alone answer and was soon starting to lose consciousness. Klarion had a mad grin on his face as he prepared to crush the Liverpuldian occult detective's windpipe.

*BOOM!*

The young Lord of Chaos turned his head. Momentarily distracted by the sound, his grip on Constantine's neck loosened; allowing the Liverpuldian occult detective a moment of respite.

*BOOM!*

Klarion looked around the room, trying to identify where the sound was coming from.

*BOOM!*

The sound had gotten louder. It appeared to be echoing from the entrance where Constantine and his group had entered the room previously.

*BOOM!*

The sound had become very loud now. Klarion watched the entrance closely. Constantine, although still feeling light-headed, followed suit.

*BOOM!*

Suddenly, a large figure came flying into the room; crashing a few feet away from Klarion and Constantine. As the dust cleared, Klarion watched as the large figure slowly began to shrink into a disturbingly familiar form. The young Chaos Lord's eyes widened in horror at the sight that beheld him.

"Teekl!" cried Klarion as he rushed to his fallen feline familiar, dropping Constantine to the floor in the process.

Constantine watched as the young Lord of Chaos picked up his beloved pet and cradled her in his arms. Teekl was still breathing but was undoubtedly heavily injured; her fur bloodied from her wounds. Tears rolled down Klarion's eyes as he pulled Teekl closer to his face.

"Everything is going to be alright, Teekl." Klarion said reassuringly, "I'm a Lord of Chaos now. I can fix you. I can make you good as new."

Teekl gave a weak meow which only caused the young Lord of Chaos to start sobbing. However, his sobbing session was cut short as another figure appeared in the mouth of the entrance. As Klarion looked up towards the figure, his sadness was quickly replaced by unbridled rage as he realised who was standing before him.

"Bad kitty." Hellboy uttered with exhaustion, his trenchcoat in shreds and his body covered in claw marks.

Klarion stood up abruptly with Teekl in his arms; his eyes crimson red with fury. The black, sticky substance on his body began to shake violently.

"YOU HURT TEEKL!!" the young Lord of Chaos yelled with anger as the black, sticky substance on his body morphed into spikes.

"Oh crap." uttered Hellboy as he soon realised that he was in serious trouble.

Constantine could only watch as Klarion began to levitate above Hellboy. The black spikes now formed tentacles that shot out towards the red-skinned paranormal investigator. Hellboy soon found himself trapped in their sticky grip as the tentacles lifted him up from the ground.

"Demon!" bellowed the young Lord of Chaos, "Not only did you threaten to shoot me at the museum but now you have the audacity to hurt my beloved Teekl."

The tentacles pulled Hellboy closer to Klarion until the red-skinned paranormal investigator could see his own reflection on the jet-black Helmet of Chaos.

"Now," Klarion said sinisterly, raising one of his hands, "I'll make you the prime example as to what happens when you disrespect a Lord of Chaos."

Realising what Klarion was about to do, Constantine could only reach his hand out in a futile attempt to stop the young Lord of Chaos. With a snap of his ink-black fingers, Klarion disappeared with Hellboy. Constantine was left alone as his vision was overcome by darkness.


	26. Chapter 25: Desperate Times

Chapter 25: Desperate Times

Agent Myers groaned with pain as he staggered to his feet. His head was still spinning from being forcibly slammed against the cave wall. As he placed his hand on the back of his head, the young agent winced in pain; also feeling a wet sensation. Bringing his hand into view, Agent Myers was slightly surprised to discover blood covering his hand. The young agent gave an annoyed sigh; making his presence known to his fellow agent who was busy tending to Chas.

"Myers!" cried Agent Clay as he made his way towards the young agent, "You okay?"

"I'm fine, thanks." replied Agent Myers as he faced the burly agent, "Head's bleeding but I'm still alive."

Agent Clay smiled with amusement as the young agent wiped his bloodied hand across his trouser leg.

"What happened to Klarion?" Agent Myers asked as he looked around, noting that some parts of the cave wall appeared charred.

"He's buggered off." yelled a voice that was distinctly Liverpuldian.

Agent Myers turned to find Constantine sitting on the chair that once held Gerald's dried up corpse. The Liverpuldian occult detective had a despondent expression on his face as he took a puff from his cigarette.

"And he took Hellboy with him." Constantine uttered in a dejected tone as cigarette smoke escaped from his lips.

"Then we'd better go after him." Agent Clay quickly said with an urgent tone, "Who knows what that sadistic brat will do to him."

Constantine could only scoff at the burly agent's suggestion, causing Agent Myers and Agent Clay to look at each other with slight confusion. Meanwhile, Chas had a grim expression on his face.

"I admire your optimism, mate." Constantine said with a dejected tone as he took another puff of his cigarette, "But I'm afraid it's a little late for that. Our bright red friend is probably dead by now."

"What are you saying?" asked Agent Myers, surprised by the Liverpuldian occult detective's grave response.

"Klarion has become an embodiment of Chaos," Chas explained in a grim tone as he got to his feet, "He now has enough power to raze London from the ground."

"And he's only going to get stronger as long as he has that sodding helmet on." Constantine interjected as he extinguished his cigarette onto the cave floor.

The Liverpuldian occult detective stood to his feet and walked towards the crushed golden nozzle laying on the cave floor.

"No amount of magic," Constantine uttered gloomily as he picked up the crushed magical artefact before tossing it away, "Is going to stop him now."

Agent Clay and Agent Myers could only stare in disbelief at hearing the Liverpuldian occult detective's statement.

"So what?" said a disgruntled Agent Clay, "We're just going to let Klarion kill Hellboy and destroy London just like that?!"

Chas remained silent while Constantine lit another cigarette; both their expressions grim.

"At least tell me that you'll help us save Hellboy?" Agent Clay asked, directing the question towards the Liverpuldian occult detective; his voice getting steadily angrier.

Constantine took a puff from his cigarette before turning to face the burly Bureau agent; a mournful expression on his face.

"I'm sorry, mate." the Liverpuldian occult detective replied with sadness.

As soon as Constantine said those words, the burly agent was immediately on him; grabbing the Liverpuldian occult detective by the collar.

"You slimeball!" yelled Agent Clay furiously as he shook Constantine violently, "You were the one responsible for putting him in this current mess and now you're just going to walk away when he needs you the most?!"

Constantine remained silent as Agent Clay continued to shake him violently by his collar. Chas and Agent Myers rushed forward to separate the two. After a brief struggle, the young agent and the burly taxi driver managed to pry Agent Clay and Constantine apart.

"You're a coward you know that, Constantine?!" Agent Clay continued to yell as Agent Myers held him back, "Hellboy trusted you as a friend and even agreed to help you stop Klarion even if it meant termination from the Bureau. And this is how you repay him?!"

"Well it's the red pillock's bloody fault, isn't it?!" Constantine snapped back angrily, surprising Chas and the two Bureau agents, "He shouldn't have trusted me in the first place. Wanna know why?! Because those who trust me end up bloody dead!"

The two Bureau agents were silent as they contemplated on Constantine's words. Chas could only let out a sad sigh.

"You wanna know why Chas is the only mate I have left?!" Constantine yelled, continuing his angry outburst, "And why I usually do all this sodding magic nonsense alone?! Because those who get close to me either end up dead or suffer an even worse fate! That's your fate when you're friends with the John Constantine, the man who pissed off even the bloody Devil himself!"

The Liverpuldian occult detective appeared physically exhausted from his outburst. Agent Clay and Agent Myers could only watch in silence as Constantine took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"I've destroyed more lives than I've saved, lads," the Liverpuldian occult detective said with a gloomy tone, "And now, I'm going to be responsible for destroying all of them."

The group remained in morbid silence at Constantine's confession. The situation was at its bleakest.

"So," Agent Myers uttered, breaking the silence, "Is there no way to stop Klarion then?"

Constantine let out a dispirited sigh.

"There was one." said the Liverpuldian occult detective as he slowly made his way to the now rusted Helmet of Fate that lay on the cave floor a few steps away from him, "It would've involved us finding a Lord of Order since they're the only blokes that could match a Lord of Chaos in terms of power."

"So, let's find a Lord of Order then." Agent Clay said with a hint of optimism, "There must be some magical spell we could use to give us their location."

"I'm afraid that's impossible." Chas replied dishearteningly, "A Lord of Order cannot simply be found. They will only appear before those who they've deemed worthy of wielding their power, usually appearing in the form of an object."

"The Helmet of Fate is one of such objects." Constantine uttered as he stooped to pick up the rusted helmet, "If Hellboy and I hadn't made it reveal itself, the helmet would have remained invisible until it found a worthy host and would've granted the lucky bastard the powers of a Lord of Order. Well, it would have if Klarion didn't suck the sodding thing dry."

As Constantine placed his hands on the rusted helmet, something caused him to stop in his tracks. Cautiously, the Liverpuldian occult detective lifted the rusted Helmet of Fate from the ground. Constantine stared intently at the rusty helmet, looking visibly confused. Confusion soon transformed into excitement as a large grin soon appeared on his face.

"Nabu, you clever bastard!" Constantine proclaimed with joy, surprising Chas and the two Bureau agents who turned to face the Liverpuldian occult detective.

"What's the matter, Constantine?" asked Agent Myers, taken aback by the Liverpuldian occult detective's sudden shift in mood.

"It looks like all hope is not lost just yet, lads." Constantine exclaimed optimistically, walking back to the group with the rusted helmet in his hands, "We still have one last trump card to play."

Agent Myers and Agent Clay were slightly confused at the Liverpuldian occult detective's optimistic reply as Constantine placed the rusted Helmet of Fate on the ground before taking out a piece of paper and pen from his trenchcoat pocket.

"Alright, lads," Constantine instructed the group as he scribbled onto the paper, "First things first, head back to the House of Mystery and arm yourselves with these magical artefacts. They will be your weapons against Klarion."

Chas and the two Bureau agents were too surprised and confused to say anything as they watched Constantine continue to scribble onto the paper with fervour.

"The next thing is finding the little bugger." the Liverpuldian occult detective continued to instruct, "Once you've found him, use those artefacts against him. It won't do much but it'll at least piss him off. Keep doing this until I arrive."

Having finished his list, Constantine handed the piece of paper to a still confused Chas. The two Bureau agents were themselves confused at the Liverpuldian occult detective's sudden enthusiasm.

"Well?" Constantine said impatiently, "Don't just stand there. Move your arse! We've got no time to lose."

Though still slightly confused at Constantine's renewed zeal, Agent Myers and Agent Clay nodded in unison and headed out from the cave. Chas remained with Constantine, curious (and somewhat worried) about his friend's intentions.

"What're you planning, John?" asked the burly taxi driver with a hint of concern.

"Chas, my boy." Constantine said with a reassuring tone, "Desperate times call for desperate measures and I need you not to be here when I'm doing this."

"And just what are you doing?" Chas asked, getting more confused.

As if to answer the burly taxi driver, Constantine picked up the rusty Helmet of Fate from the ground.

"Either something incredibly brilliant," he said with unabashed confidence as he looked at the rusted helmet, "Or something incredibly stupid. Now, I think it's about time you buggered off out of here, mate. Things are going to get crazy around here soon."

Chas was still hesitant to leave the Liverpuldian occult detective by himself. However, Constantine's returning confidence as well as his reassuring answer had slightly eased the burly taxi driver's mind. Giving a quick nod, Chas soon took off to join Agent Myers and Agent Clay. As soon as the burly taxi driver disappeared from his sight, Constantine took one last look at the rusted Helmet of Fate.

"Alright, Johnny boy." the Liverpuldian occult detective muttered as he slowly lowered the rusted helmet onto his head, "We've talked a big game now. Let's see if we can deliver."


	27. Chapter 26: Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Chapter 26: Wrong Place, Wrong Time

"I've got a *hic* lovely bunch of *hic* coconuts!" Simon sang loudly as he was carried across London Bridge by his two friends, "There they *hic* are standing in a *burp* row!"

"Well," David said from underneath his singing drunken friend's right shoulder, "There's no denying that he's pissed off his arse."

The young brunette under Simon's left shoulder, Sandra, had an amused expression on her face as she rolled her eyes in mock annoyance.

"Well, it was the only foreseeable outcome." she said with a smile on her face, "Simon was always a lightweight."

"Who you calling a *burp* lightweight!" exclaimed Simon, slurring his words as he spoke them, "I'll have you *hic* know that I can *burp* handle me alcohol quite well."

"Mate," David laughed in amusement, "You only had two pints and you're already plastered."

"That's *burp* enough out of you." the inebriated Simon giggled before turning to Sandra with pursed lips, "How's about a *hic* kiss, luv?"

"Not on your life!" Sandra exclaimed as she playfully threw Simon of her shoulder, causing both him and David to suddenly fall on their backs.

"Oi!" David yelled in mock anger as he lay on the ground, "What'd you do that for?"

Sandra laughed as she watched David manoeuvre his way off of Simon who remained on his back; giggling like a schoolgirl. The two friends could only shake their heads in amusement as they stood watching their intoxicated friend flail around on the ground before shortly falling asleep.

"We should have called a cab." David sighed with amusement as he watched the snoring Simon, "Would have saved us the effort of lugging the drunken idiot around."

"True," Sandra said before turning her attention to the River Thames, "But we would have missed this magnificent view."

David turned to face where Sandra was looking and immediately realised what she meant. In the light of the full moon, the view from London Bridge was almost mystical. The lights from the buildings that lined the bank of the River Thames were reflected on the dark surface of its waters, forming a mixture of colours that not only pleased the eye but had the strange effect of soothing the soul. Across the distance stood the iconic Tower Bridge whose Victorian-style splendour was further enhanced in the cover of darkness. There was always something magical about London at night and if David had any knowledge about the occult history of the old city, he would have appreciated the view even more. For now, though, his mind was preoccupied by Sandra's fingers slowly intertwining with his own. David turned to find the young brunette staring at him, her eyes filled with adoration.

"And what a magnificent view it is." David said lovingly as he pulled her into his arms.

The two young lovers continued to stare tenderly into each other's eyes as Simon continued snoring loudly on the pavement. It almost seemed like an eternity before David slowly leaned in for the kiss. Sandra's lips quivered in anticipation as she prepared to reciprocate. She could feel the warmness of David's breath as both their lips almost touched. Suddenly, Sandra saw something out of the corner of her eye that immediately grabbed her attention.

"What's that heading towards us?" Sandra asked worryingly as she turned away from David and looked towards the sky; effectively ruining the romantic atmosphere.

David, slightly annoyed by the sudden disruption, turned to look at the dark sky. His eyes widened with horror at the red object hurtling towards them at break neck speed.

"RUN!" David yelled as he pushed Sandra away from him, "That thing's going to hit us!"

Sandra immediately ran towards a safe distance before turning to see David lifting Simon onto his back. The young man quickly made a run towards the young woman just as the red object crashed onto the spot where he had just been standing at. Once he had joined Sandra, David turned to look at the site of the crash. Simon remained fast asleep even amongst the commotion. David and Sandra watched the crash site intently; their eyes widening in horror as the dust cleared and the object took the form of a red figure.

* * *

Hellboy groaned in pain as he lay in the crater he had just made. The fight with Teekl had physically exhausted him even before Klarion had decided to throw him into London Bridge. The red-skinned paranormal investigator attempted to stand up but found he was unable to move let alone lift his arms.

"Crap…" Hellboy uttered weakly as his eyes grew heavy; not noticing the two young adults slowly approaching him.

* * *

Sandra and David could not believe their eyes when they saw what looked like a red devil lying at the site of the crash. The creature's red body was covered in scars and claw marks, had stumps on its head where the horns should have been and a massive stone right hand.

"It's definitely some sort of demon." David uttered as he inspected the red devil's body. "It looks like it's seen some battles."

Sandra could only roll her eyes at David's insistence on always stating the obvious as she studied the red devil's face. Although she was supposed to be afraid of this creature, there was something innately human about its face and she could not help but feel pity for the creature.

"It looks hurt." Sandra said with a hint of concern, "We should call an ambulance."

"Are you daft?!" exclaimed David in disbelief, "This is a demon we're talking about! You know, the denizens of Hell?! The place where they rip your soul apart and poke you with burning pitchforks?!"

"Well, we can't leave it here now, can we?" Sandra replied angrily, taken aback by David's tone, "We've got to do something."

"We don't have to do anything!" David continued to argue, "Let someone else handle it. Besides, it's probably dead already."

A sudden sputter from the red devil made the two young adults jump out of their skins before they quickly backed away from it.

"Dear God!" David uttered in terror as he saw the creature open its eyes weakly, "The bloody thing is still alive!"

Sandra was also terrified to discover the creature was still living. However, fear soon turned to curiosity when she saw it move its lips.

"I think it's trying to say something." Sandra exclaimed as she pointed to the creature's mouth.

David watched with a horrified expression on his face as the young brunette placed her ear closer to the red devil's mouth. The young brunette strained her ears to decipher the creature's words.

"I can't make it out," Sandra said slowly, "But I think it's telling us to…"

"Run." a dark booming voice suddenly bellowed.

Sandra immediately turned to the source of the voice only to scream as she was confronted by a gruesome sight. A dark helmeted figure stood behind David with its black sticky hand jutting out of the young man's abdomen. Sandra continued to scream as the dark figure violently removed its hand from the young man's lifeless body, causing it to collapse to the ground.

"You are familiar with the expression 'curiosity killed the cat'?" the dark figure said with a malicious tone as it approached the screaming young brunette menacingly, "You should have ran when you had the chance."

Sandra's screams were muffled as the helmeted figure's black sticky hand wrapped itself around her face.

"And I find your screaming a tad annoying." the dark figure added as it tightened its grip around the poor woman's jaw.

* * *

Hellboy was powerless to stop Klarion as he crushed the young brunette's lower jaw. The red-skinned paranormal investigator watched as the young woman's lifeless body collapsed to the ground; her lower jaw now a grotesque mess of crushed bones and teeth. Hellboy glared at Klarion with eyes filled with rage.

"Did that make you angry, demon?" the young Lord of Chaos asked mockingly before letting out a malicious laugh.

Even though his body was physically exhausted, Hellboy made an attempt to grab Klarion with his stone right arm only to be struck by a bolt of black lightning. The red-skinned paranormal investigator screamed in pain; his body convulsing violently from the electricity that coursed through him.

"You are quite resilient." Klarion said with mock admiration, "A normal demon would have perished from that attack."

The pain was too great for Hellboy to bear as he slowly began to lose consciousness. Somehow noticing this, Klarion immediately directed another bolt of black lightning towards the red-skinned paranormal investigator. The sudden surge of electricity knocked Hellboy painfully back to consciousness.

"Whoops!" Klarion exclaimed with malice, "Can't have you passing out now, demon. I still have yet to make an example out of you."

Klarion then laughed maniacally as he summoned more bolts of dark lightning to strike Hellboy. The red-skinned paranormal investigator could only continue screaming in anguish.


	28. Chapter 27: Mobilise

Chapter 27: Mobilise

"Status report, Agent Jenkins!" ordered Chief Thompson as she burst through the entrance doors of the Limehouse Public Library; walking quickly towards the skinny blonde agent that stood waiting for her.

Agent Jenkins immediately walked alongside the redhead Chief of Field Operations while handing her a folder and a standard-issue brown B.P.R.D. field agent jacket.

"At 0400 hours, our psychics detected a sharp spike in dark magic," Agent Jenkins reported as he walked alongside his superior who was hastily putting on her jacket, "We've managed to pinpoint the location of the spike's occurrence to London Bridge."

Chief Thompson opened the folder and scanned its contents quickly. The folder contained a series of satellite images of London Bridge. The red-headed chief quickly noticed that each image showed an unknown dark entity standing on the bridge.

"These images was taken by the Agamotto satellite a few hours ago," Agent Jenkins continued as he and Chief Thompson passed into another hallway, "We have yet to identify the black entity seen in those images but we can confirm that it has already claimed three lives."

"I see." Chief Thompson said grimly as she closed the folder, "Have all available field agents been assembled?"

"They have, ma'am," Agent Jenkins replied, "They're waiting for you in the briefing room."

"Thank you, Agent Jenkins." Chief Thompson said sternly as she made her way towards the briefing room with the skinny blonde agent in tow.

The assembled B.P.R.D. agents immediately rose up in salute as Chief Thompson entered the briefing room. Agent Jenkins took his place at the red-headed chief's side as she turned to address her subordinates.

"Field agents!" Chief Thompson's voice boomed, "A mysterious dark entity has appeared on London Bridge and has claimed three lives already. We currently have no information on the identity of the entity but we can be sure that it is hostile. As such, in accordance with the 'Unknown Hostile Entity' protocol, you will all be split into four teams."

"Alpha Team will be led by me," the red-headed chief continued, "We will be in charge of setting up a perimeter around London Bridge and the surrounding areas. Our job is to contain the entity and stop it from leaving the perimeter."

"Beta Team will be led by Agent Jenkins," Chief Thompson instructed as she motioned to the skinny blonde agent to her right, "His team will be in charge of confronting the entity and keeping it within the perimeter Alpha Team has set."

"Gamma Team will be led by Agent Tomlinson," the red-headed chief said sternly, motioning towards the burly agent on her left, "His team will support Beta Team and will be in charge of evacuating the citizens from the area."

"Omega Team will be led by Agent Pattinson and will work together with our intelligence division to identify the entity and discover a way to defeat it," Chief Thompson continued giving out her orders as she motioned to a spectacled woman standing next to Agent Tomlinson before turning to address the assembled field agents, "Is everyone clear of the each team's objectives?"

The briefing room resonated with the sounds of Bureau field agents saying "Yes, ma'am".

"Good." Chief Thompson said sternly, "The main priority is to contain the threat and prevent it from spreading to other areas of London. Now, we shall assign you to your respective teams…"

"Chief Thompson!" Agent McDowell interrupted as he burst into the briefing room; waving two pieces of paper in his hand, "There's been an update on the situation!"

Chief Thompson was slightly worried by the sudden announcement of the young intelligence officer as he made his way towards her.

"These are the satellite images from the Agamotto a few minutes ago," Agent McDowell explained as he handed two pieces of paper to Chief Thompson, "The situation has become more serious than we thought."

Chief Thompson scanned through the satellite images given to her. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the mysterious dark entity standing on top of the Monument to the Great Fire of London. Surrounding the areas around the monument was what looked to be a large army of nightmarish creatures.

"My God." she uttered with dread.

"That's not all, ma'am." Agent McDowell said as he pointed to the red figure that appeared to be tied to the side of the monument.

"Agent Hellboy?!" Chief Thompson exclaimed with shock; immediately recognising the red figure, "What's he still doing here? He should be on a plane to America!"

"That doesn't seem to be the case, ma'am," Agent McDowell replied as Chief Thompson flipped to the second satellite image, "But that's not the worst of it."

The red-headed chief could only stare at the second satellite image in silence before slowly looking straight at the young intelligence officer's face.

"Are you being serious?" she asked in disbelief.

"I'm afraid it's true, ma'am," Agent McDowell said with a completely straight face, "London Bridge has fallen down."

* * *

Chas, Agent Clay and Agent Myers got out from the cab; their eyes staring in disbelief at the sight before them. London Bridge was in ruins and a sinister dark cloud now loomed over the City of London, effectively covering the city in impenetrable darkness.

"Well," Chas said with a grim expression on his face "At least we know where Klarion buggered off to."

"This looks bad." Agent Myers remarked as he continued staring at the sinister dark cloud, "I don't see any Bureau agents around. It looks like Chief Thompson hasn't responded to the threat yet."

"All the more reason for us to do something," Agent Clay said with determination, "Hellboy's in there somewhere and we've got to find him."

"You're right," Chas said as he turned to walk to the back of his cab, "Enough gawking. It's time we got familiar with our weapons."

Agent Clay and Agent Myers nodded in agreement as they followed the burly taxi driver to the back of the cab. Chas proceeded to open the cab's trunk, revealing its contents to the two Bureau agents. Inside were three items: an old-looking Colt revolver, an old Winchester rifle covered in symbols and runes, and a standard 12-gauge shotgun. The two Bureau agents watched as Chas picked up the old Winchester rifle.

"The Ace of Winchesters," Chas explained as he showed the rifle to the two Bureau agents before placing it back into the cab's trunk, "Made by a Texas Ranger who was also a mystic occultist. This rifle was said to be able to kill any demon. Well, that's what John told me anyway."

"How's that supposed to hurt Klarion?" Agent Myers asked.

"Demons are the agents of Chaos." the burly taxi driver explained, "Seeing as Klarion is a Lord of Chaos, I think it's safe to say that whatever can hurt a demon would also be able to hurt him."

"As for that old Colt revolver," Chas exclaimed as he noticed the young agent studying the old gun, "I'm not sure what John did to the old thing but somehow he enchanted it so now it can kill demons as well. Said he got the idea from a TV show. I think it was called 'Paranormal' or something."

"And the shotgun?" asked Agent Clay as he picked up the 12-gauge firearm.

"Oh, there's nothing magical about that gun," Chas explained to the burly agent, "The magic lies in the ammunition it uses."

Agent Clay watched as Chas took out a small box filled with golden shotgun cartridges from the cab's trunk.

"These shotgun shells are cast from golden holy Christian relics," the burly taxi driver explained, taking a cartridge out of the box, "Really does a number on demons. I learnt how to make them from an American bloke called Kramer. The process is surprisingly quite straightforward. The tough part, however, was finding the damned relics themselves."

Agent Myers and Agent Clay continued to admire the magical weapons before placing them back into the trunk.

"You know," Agent Myers said as he looked at the three firearms laying side by side, "When Constantine said to arm ourselves with magical artefacts, I'd imagined we would be using swords or shields. Maybe even wands."

"I'd thought the same thing too." Agent Clay said in agreement.

Chas laughed at the two Bureau agents comments.

"You'd look pretty silly lugging those things around," the burly taxi driver said with amusement, "Besides, we'd be drawing too much attention to ourselves if we started looking like the folks from 'Dungeons and Dragons'."

Agent Myers and Agent Clay nodded in agreement, having found some truth to Chas's words

"Alright." Chas exclaimed as he slammed the cab's trunk shut, "Only one thing left to do."

"Keep Klarion preoccupied until Constantine arrives." Agent Myers said, completing the burly taxi driver's sentence, "Sounds simple enough."

"In my experience fighting alongside John," Chas said with a bit of a grim tone, "It never is."

With stern expressions on their faces, the three men got into the cab.

"I hope Constantine knows what he's doing." Agent Clay said with a hint of worry as he fastened his seatbelt.

"Yeah." Chas replied as he started the engine, "Me too."


	29. Chapter 28: Nabu, Lord of Order

Chapter 28: Nabu, Lord of Order

Constantine was convinced he had gone blind from wearing the rusted Helmet of Fate as all he could see was murky darkness. Fortunately, the sight of a flame appearing from his lighter told him otherwise. As pathetic of a light source as it was, the tiny flickering flame provided enough illumination for Constantine to survey his surroundings. The Liverpuldian occult detective let out a long whistle as he found himself surrounded by never-ending darkness.

"Inviting." he quipped.

With the small flame from his lighter acting as his torch, Constantine trudged through the darkness; intent on finding the thing that made him to wear the helmet in the first place. After what seemed like ages, the Liverpuldian occult detective caught sight of a faint glow in the distance.

"Jonny boy, we've found him." Constantine said with excitement as he sprinted in the direction of the faint, glowing light.

The light grew brighter and brighter as the Liverpuldian occult detective neared its source. Soon, Constantine came across a figure lying on the ground. Although humanoid in appearance, the body of the mysterious figure radiated with such a bright light that it obscured any discernable features (if it had any to begin with). The light pulsated in sync with the mysterious figure's weak and laboured breathing.

"Hello, Nabu." Constantine said as he pocketed his lighter into his trench coat, "You look a right mess."

The glowing humanoid lifted his head towards the Liverpuldian occult detective.

"John Constantine." Nabu said with disdain as he weakly sat up, "As if I have not been insulted enough."

"Come on, mate," Constantine uttered, pretending to get offended by Nabu's statement, "Is that any way to say 'Hi' to a friend?"

Ignoring the Liverpuldian occult detective's comment, Nabu slowly staggered to his feet.

"Why have you come?" the Lord of Order asked, "And how did you know I was still here?"

"Thought I'd nick some of what's left of your powers to stop Klarion," Constantine said without reservation, "Not that there's much left from the look of things. Hope you don't mind."

"As for how I knew you were still in the helmet," the Liverpuldian occult detective continued in a smug tone, "It wasn't that hard. When I picked up that rusted headwear of yours, I felt a tingle in my fingers. Most people wouldn't even sense it but yours truly knows a thing or two about protection spells. Even one as pathetic as the one you casted."

Nabu scoffed at the Liverpuldian occult detective's self-satisfied reply.

"Your arrogance and impudence truly knows no bounds," the Lord of Order said with contempt, "Have you forgotten to whom you are speaking with? I will not tolerate such insolence here. Know that you are in my realm and that I have the power to…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Constantine interrupted with an annoyed tone, "You've got the power to do whatever you want to me because you're Nabu, Lord of Order and this is your sodding realm! Bla bla bla!"

"Look here, you pretentious twat!" the Liverpuldian occult detective spoke in an aggressive tone that surprised Nabu, "If it hasn't gone through that snobbish head of yours, most of your powers are currently in the hands of a young witch-boy who, as we speak, is using it to raze all of bloody London from the ground as a new Lord of Chaos."

"Now, here's how I see it," Constantine continued, "You've got two choices. Either stay here and wither away while Klarion continues causing more chaos or get off your high horse and come help me stop the bastard!"

Nabu remained silent as he contemplated on the Liverpuldian occult detective's words; his mind divided. As much as the Lord of Order despised Constantine, the Liverpuldian occult detective had a point. If he chose not to help, he would be trapped in the helmet and, in his current state, would surely fade from existence. Furthermore, as a Lord of Order, he could not allow a Lord of Chaos to run free as they would disrupt the Balance of the cosmos and possibly put an end to existence itself. Faced with these dire conditions and consequences, the choice was very clear.

"You truly are the Devil, John Constantine," Nabu said in a defeated tone.

"Oh, I've met the Devil," Constantine said with a smug grin, "And trust me, I'm worse. So, how are we going to do this?"

"In order for you to gain access to my powers," Nabu explained, "A deal must first be made between you and me."

"And considering how Faustian this deal is looking," the Lord of Order continued as he put his right hand forward, "I believe a handshake would be most appropriate."

Constantine proceeded to put his right hand forward in an attempt to shake Nabu's hand.

"Not yet." the Lord of Order said sternly, stopping the Liverpuldian occult detective in his tracks, "There is an order to this ritual that we must strictly follow."

Constantine withdrew his hand, letting out an irritated sigh and feeling slightly embarrassed for showing his own eagerness.

"I, Nabu, a Lord of Order," Nabu's voice boomed, "Bestow upon thee, John Constantine, my symbol, the Helmet of Fate, and the title of Doctor Fate, Champion of Order. May you keep Chaos at bay and restore Balance to the cosmos."

"Do you accept the title and the responsibility?" Nabu asked in his booming voice as he motioned his open right hand to Constantine.

"You already know my answer." the Liverpuldian occult detective answered impatiently as he grabbed Nabu's outstretched hand, "So can we speed this up?"

"Quite." Nabu said begrudgingly, "But know that this is a temporary arrangement and you will only remain as Champion until the newly birthed Lord of Chaos known as Klarion has been defeated and Balance is restored."

"Just get on with it, mate." Constantine said with annoyance.

"Very well." declared Nabu as the light radiating from his body began increasing in brightness, "It is done."

Constantine shielded his eyes as the Lord of Order's body gave out a sudden burst of bright light. As he lowered his hand, the Liverpuldian occult detective found himself back in the Hellfire Caves. Quickly placing both hands on his head, Constantine was relieved to find that he was still wearing the Helmet of Fate. As he looked down to inspect his body, however, he was surprised to find that he was still dressed in his normal attire.

"Uh…" the Liverpuldian occult detective uttered in confusion

"Something the matter, John Constantine?" Nabu's voice suddenly boomed.

"Bloody hell!" yelled a startled Constantine, "Where'd you bloody come from?!"

"Do not be so startled," the Lord of Order's voice boomed again, "As you have been bestowed the title of Doctor Fate, you and I now have a psychic connection to one another. This way, not only will I be able to help you defeat Klarion but also make sure that you complete your end of the deal."

"Great." Constantine said with annoyance, "Another voice in my head."

"As most of my magic and powerful spells are not available to me at this moment," Nabu continued to speak, ignoring the Liverpuldian occult detective's annoyed remark, "I can only offer you some rudimentary spells as well as enhance your own magical spells and abilities."

"That might explain the absence of the golden cloak and the blue spandex you were so fond of getting your hosts to wear." Constantine said sarcastically.

"We do not have time for your insolence, John Constantine!" Nabu's voice said sternly, "We must find Klarion and defeat him swiftly or else Balance will be lost and the cosmos in disarray."

"Alright, alright." Constantine said as he rubbed his hands in preparation, "No need to get your knickers in a twist."

Eyes closed and arms outstretched, Constantine concentrated on finding Klarion. Nabu's enhancement of his magical abilities made it easy for him to discover the location of the young Lord of Chaos.

"Found him," Constantine said with excitement as he opened his eyes, "Now, if only I can remember that teleportation spell…"

"There will be no need for that." Nabu's voice suddenly bellowed, "Merely concentrate on the location you wish to travel to."

Slightly confused by the Lord of Order's statement, Constantine nevertheless concentrated on Klarion's location. His hands began to glow with yellow energy as his body slowly levitated from the ground. Feeling the sudden absence of the ground, Constantine opened his eyes to find himself floating two feet in the air.

"Do not be distracted!" Nabu's voice bellowed sternly, "Concentrate on the task at hand!"

Constantine quickly returned to concentrating on Klarion's location. Slowly, his hands rose up from his sides until his arms were perpendicular to his body. Two yellow beams of light shot out from both his hands, forming a large yellow ankh in front of the Liverpuldian occult detective. Constantine watched as the large magical construct moved slowly towards him. The ankh appeared to absorb the Liverpuldian occult detective bit by bit as it travelled across his body. Soon, there was no trace of Constantine and all that was left was the large yellow ankh that hovered in the air momentarily before promptly vanishing.


End file.
